
Southeast Asia has always been one of the world's most vital crossroads, a melting-pot of cultures, religions & peoples. It has seen the rise & fall of many mighty empires, whose leaders left behind monumental temples & shrines like the Khmer temples of Angkor in Cambodia, the Javanese Buddhist shrine of Borobudur & the pagodas of Burma. It has been home to great seafaring states like Funan in southern Vietnam & Srivijaya in Sumatra, which one reaped huge profits from trade with China & India. Mary Somers Heidhues guides the reader through the history of Southeast Asia from the earliest prehistoric peoples to the late 20th century
- from the magnificent Dongson bronze drums produced in Vietnam in the first millennium BC to the emergence of high-tech 'tiger' economies, the ongoing struggles towards democracy, & against the environmental threat posed by pollution & deforestation. Packed with informative maps & illustrations, this lively book will appeal to historians, travellers, students & all those interested in discovering more about this fascinating part of the world.