Organized looting networks, including looters affiliated with the Khmer Rouge, sent these statues to a well known antiquities dealer, Douglas Latchford.
One of its consequences, the rise of the Khmers Rouges, merits a single sentence, which blames Congress for cutting off military aid to the Cambodian government.
The Champa people had a history of invading the Khmer empire, and in 1177, the Champa successfully attacked and pillaged Yasodharapura, killing the previous king, Tribhuyanadityavarman.
The founder of the Khmer Empire was a man named Jayavarman II, who would crown himself king, or raja. We'll be discussing Jayavarman II more in a little bit.
One of the great kings of the Khmer, Suryavarman I, brought most of the country under his authority. The written sources point to his heavy reliance on Tai troops for that achievement.
This was followed by 600 years of political and powerful dominance by Khmer kings of present-day Southeast Asia, covering the borders of Myanmar east to the south China sea and north to Laos.
But after withering away for a month, fed so sparely on rice gruel that he felt an urge to consume the flesh of the dead, he was asked to paint portraits of the regime's leader, Pol Pot.