Piers, Anthony - Geodyssey 04 by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers, Anthony
Language: eng
Format: epub

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A B B YY.c much to her regret. But perhaps, if due credit were given, her impact on history would be recognized.

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This bold woman's ploy had certainly generated considerable mischief, and changed much. But for the

arrogant ambitions of others, it might have changed everything.

CHAPTER 9 JUSTICE

One of the fabled ancient and splendid cities is Angkor, in southeast Asia. The name is from the Sanskrit word for "city." It was the capital of the Khmer culture, which is dated from A.D. 802 to 1431. It was known at the time as Kambujadesa, from which derives the present name for the land, Cambodia.

Originally there were several regions ruled by generally independent chiefs or princes, and there was no sense of national identity. But Javarman II managed through political, familial, and military maneuvering to dominate the other princes and become the "universal monarch." His successors maintained the kingdom, notably Yasovarman (889-912), who founded the capital which was later to be called Angkor. This kingdom was heavily flavored by both Indian and Chinese influences, being very roughly between the two massive cultures, but had a unique character that has survived to the present day.

Khmer society was highly stratified from the king at the apex to the slaves at the nadir. It had a form of caste system, with the Brahmans as a noble priestly class, and the Kshatriya as noble warriors. These represented the upper tier, the equivalent of nobility, and the lines between them were not firmly fixed.

The second tier had Sudra as servants and artisans, and Vaisya as farmers. Beneath these were what were called mountain savages, which perhaps were simply the outlying country folk who did not take the caste system seriously, and slaves. There were many distinctions between slaves, with perhaps as many as fourteen separate categories. Some were hereditary; some were indentured for set periods; some were captives. Some were attached to particular masters or institutions; others were bound to specific pieces of land. Field slaves were reviled, with names like "Dog" and "Foul Smelling," and had to prostrate themselves and beg permission to enter a farmer's hut. Temple slaves might be addressed by polite titles, and some even owned land and had slaves of their own.

An orderly society is vital to any kingdom, and there were mechanisms to settle disputes and ensure fairness. But what about cases in which there was no clear resolution to be had by ordinary channels?

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A B B YY.c Here the re could be a special art to justice. The place is just north of the Great Lake of Cambodia; time

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is A.D. 890 .

Heath was a healer, and a good one, so that he was in demand by princes despite being only of the artisan caste himself. He had been well rewarded for his services, and now owned choice land near the capital city. He had a comely, fertile, and devoted wife who supported him absolutely.

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