Phu Nam: Studies, and some unanswered questions

Abstract

The study of Funan, one of the earliest Kingdoms in Southeast Asia, is considered to play a key role in understanding the formation of early states, and the relation between cultures in this region of the world. Currently, our knowledge of this kingdom is derived mainly from ancient Chinese chronicles, ancient transcripts, and stelae and from archaeological excavations. However, information from these sources is often inadequate, and in many cases, it still needs to be verified. This paper provides a brief review of previous studies on the Funan, and analyzes the major assumptions and arguments that these studies have made.