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Cham and Khmer Chariots

Started by Dangun, July 24, 2016, 04:11:19 PM

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Dangun

I don't think that the DBX family of wargames includes any chariots in either the Khmer or Cham army lists.

I am trying to understand the argument/evidence for why the Khmer and Cham armies did not contain any chariots.

Jacq-Hergoualch's The Armies of Angkor (1979) agrees with and ascribes the argument to Quaritch Wales' Ancient South-East Asian Warfare (1952).

Wales argued that because:
1) there were no Khmer inscriptions referring to chariots; and
2) all of the bas-reliefs that included chariots were religious in nature and not historical
there is no evidence for the Khmer using chariots.

Am I missing anything? Are there any other components to the argument?

Duncan Head

The DBM and DBMM lists do allow a Khmer C-in-c to be regraded as in a chariot.

I think that's broadly the argument, though. I assume you've looked at Mark Fry's piece in Slingshot 300? May be worth going through the Slingshot index as well, I have a vague idea that the subject's been covered in print before. See also https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/DBMMlist/conversations/messages/125134 and the ensuing thread.
Duncan Head

Dangun

Quote from: Duncan Head on July 24, 2016, 08:09:03 PM
I have a vague idea that the subject's been covered in print before.

You spotted my next question. There is an article in Slingshot 203 called "Notes on Srivajaya and Khmer Chariots (203/60, Andrew Bird)" by Andrew Bird.
And I was going to ask whether there was any way of finding it?


Andreas Johansson

Quote from: Dangun on July 25, 2016, 05:30:05 AM
You spotted my next question. There is an article in Slingshot 203 called "Notes on Srivajaya and Khmer Chariots (203/60, Andrew Bird)" by Andrew Bird.
And I was going to ask whether there was any way of finding it?
You can always buy the CD with back issues of Slingshot. It's excellent value even if you only ever look at a fraction of the stuff.
Lead Mountain 2024
Acquired: 120 infantry, 44 cavalry, 0 chariots, 12 other
Finished: 24 infantry, 0 cavalry, 0 chariots, 1 other

Nick Harbud

Quote from: Dangun on July 25, 2016, 05:30:05 AM
You spotted my next question. There is an article in Slingshot 203 called "Notes on Srivajaya and Khmer Chariots (203/60, Andrew Bird)" by Andrew Bird.
And I was going to ask whether there was any way of finding it?

This one?
Nick Harbud

Dangun

Quote from: NickHarbud on October 07, 2016, 09:37:45 AM
This one?

Very much appreciated.

But sadly, the article is long since sent to the editor.
So I hesitate to open the file, because it might induce the feeling of having overlooked critical material.

Mark G

Where would amateur history he without a feeling of having overlooked critical material?

Go on, read it.

Tim

You can always then write a critical revision of your original article thus getting published twice for one story, so to speak...

Dangun

#8
Quote from: Mark G on October 07, 2016, 05:55:09 PM
Where would amateur history he without a feeling of having overlooked critical material?

Exactly!  :) I normally try to avoid that feeling by looking at something comfortably narrow and obscure.

Quote from: Mark G on October 07, 2016, 05:55:09 PM
Go on, read it.

You were right though, and I read it.
Fortunately, there is nothing new and we've actually discussed this in another thread.
It picks up on a sentence in an older translation of "The Customs of Cambodia" that described concubines in chariots. But a more recent translation uses the word cart.