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Introduction: Although Cambodia has long attracted the interest of archaeologists, it is only recently that research has begun in earnest on sites that predate Angkor. Prior to the late twentieth century, the majority of scholarly endeavor had been focused on the temples of Southeast Asia's greatest empire. Since the cessation of hostilities in Cambodia in the 1990s, research has recommenced, both on the Angkorian period but also in the periods prior to the foundation of the empire in <i>c</i>.802 CE. This period is of considerable interest for understanding the rise of the state in Southeast Asia and the discovery of cemeteries at many sites presents tantalizing insights into the social and political development of early Cambodia. The majority of excavated prehistoric sites in Cambodia belong to the Iron Age (<i>c</i>.500 BCE-500 CE). This is a period in which Southeast Asia was engaged in a wide sphere of trans-regional interaction and exchange evidenced buy the presence of exotic items of material culture including agate, carnelian and glass beads, many of which may have been sourced from South Asia. These items, along with the appearance of iron technology, largely differentiate the period from the proceeding Bronze Age. The discovery of cemeteries has, unfortunately, presented a number of problems as well. As many of the burial sites contain semi-precious stones, glass beads and bronze jewelry there has been a concerted effort to extract these from the sites, for sale on the international antiquities market. This trend has seen the wholesale destruction of many important archaeological sites in Cambodia. Several of the excavations presented below have been driven by the need to document sites prior to their complete destruction by looters. The mortuary assemblages recorded from all excavations and salvage missions described in this chapter provide insight into the social and political transformation that characterizes early Cambodia and will certainly bolster the case for the need for further research into life during pre-Angkorian Cambodia. The following discussion will be divided into geographic areas to facilitate regional comparison between sites and through time. These regions will encompass Angkor (including the sites of Koh Ta Meas, Prei Khmeng, and Lovea), Northwest Cambodia (Phum Snay, Kok Treas, and Phum Sophy) and Southern Cambodia (Krek 52/62, village 10.8, Wat Komnou at Angkor Borei, Phnom Borei and Prohear). Each of these geographic-based sections will comprise a description of the prehistoric mortuary assemblage, burial orientation and, where available, bioarchaeological and palaeodemographic data for each site. A regional comparison will be presented in the discussion section to highlight the similarities and differences between the prehistoric sites in different geographic areas. Figure 2.1 (Chapter 2) provides the location of each site while Table 4.1 provides the dates for known mortuary contexts and Table 4.2 summaries the burial assemblages discussed below.
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