Khmer Empire and Medieval Europe: Analysis of Military and Daily Life

This essay will compare military and daily life in Medieval Europe and the Khmer Empire. There were many similarities in weaponry used by the military forces, however there were various differences in the defence systems between the Khmer Empire and Medieval Europe. The type of housing in Khmer Empire was very basic whereas in Medieval Europe it depended on how wealthy you were. The types of food eaten in each society was quite varied. The people from Khmer ate very simple land food, while the people of Medieval Europe ate more gourmet food.

To explain the similarities and differences that existed between Medieval Europe and the Khmer Empire, a good area which highlights this is the military function, in particular weapons. I thought it was interesting to review the different weapons that were used between the Khmer Empire and Medieval Europe. The Khmer used elephants with a driver armed with a spear or sword and sometimes there would be a single archer or spearman in battle. Medieval Europe did not have such availability of elephants but rather used horses for transport and attack in battle. However, a good example of the similarities between these societies is the handheld weapons. Both societies used swords, spears, bows and arrows and axes to defend and attack during times of war. The above examples show that both societies are using the resources available to them in the example of the elephant and horse and also in the example of the weapons. Both societies are progressing with technology and weapons at the same rate.

The defence system held in the Khmer Empire varied greatly from Medieval Europe. The Khmer Empire had their own navy, with boats made out of tree trunks from the forest, whereas in Medieval Europe they would have castles with armed crossbow men ready to fire at intruders. The boats used by Khmer were like large open canoes and had about twenty people who would row at the same time. If they would happen to come across a battle, they would throw their enemies off the ship to be eaten by crocodiles. On the other hand, Medieval Europe had castles that were built for the main purpose of protection for war. To begin with castles were fairly simple, and attackers began to find new ways on how to break into the castle. So, the castles needed to change their defence system to keep the attacker out. An interesting similarity was both military armies wore protective gear for battle. They both wore helmets and chest plates and used shields. This information shows similarities and differences between the two defence systems.

The type of housing was very different between the two societies. The people living in the Khmer era lived in very simple houses, the houses were built on stilts to prevent the house from flooding. The medieval houses were built from brick which would cost more money and resembled castles. The Khmer Empire houses would have thatched roofs and walls made from woven bamboo, the house was normally made out of wood, there was often very little furniture that existed, so they would use mats to sleep on or keep warm. In contrast, the type of house people lived in, in Medieval Europe would depend on how much money you had, if you had more money you had a much bigger variety of building materials. Whereas if you were poor there would be a very little choice. As you can see houses were very different in each society this was due to the amount of resources each society had.

The food that was eaten in Medieval Europe was more varied than the food eaten by the people in the Khmer Empire. The Khmer food was fairly simple and mostly land based food, including rice which was the main food source, fish, fruit and vegetables. They developed water storage facilities such as dams and reservoirs and this helped collect water in the wet season. Those systems helped and enabled rice production all year round. They also ate a lot of water creatures such as crab, frog, shrimp and snails. A common beverage in Khmer was made from sugar, cane, rice and honey. In contrast food eaten in Medieval Europe depended upon what social class you were in. Peasants food consisted of cabbage, beans, oats and brown bread, every so often as a specialty they would eat cheese, bacon or chicken. The wealthier classes ate more and better meat as well as bread, spices and rich sauces. Whether you were rich or not everyone would generally drink ale or beer, milk was usually for children but was available for adults as well. Wine was shipped from France and Italy for those who could afford it. It is evident that these two societies ate vastly different foods.

In conclusion, there were many differences and similarities in military and daily life between the Khmer Empire and Medieval Europe. The weapons used in warfare were very similar, however the animals used in war were different depending on availability. The Defence systems were different as one had a strong navy and in Medieval Europe there were many castles built. Housing was fairly similar for peasants but in Medieval Europe there were many more materials to make bigger and better houses. The food in each society was quite different as one had more water creatures and the other had more pastries and breads.