Provisioning an Early City: Spatial Equilibrium in the Agricultural Economy at Angkor, Cambodia

Agricultural production at Angkor, one of the most extensive preindustrial cities, was organized to support urban growth efficiently. The study reveals that farming labor generated increasing returns through supra-household-level organization, challenging traditional economic anthropology views on decreasing marginal returns. Spatial patterns indicate land-use choices considered transportation costs to the urban core, suggesting a system more akin to modern urban production than smallholder farming. The research leverages extensive documentation of the Greater Angkor Region to analyze these spatial and social dynamics.

Klassen, S., Ortman, S. G., Lobo, J., & Evans, D. (2021). Provisioning an Early City: Spatial Equilibrium in the Agricultural Economy at Angkor, Cambodia. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 29(3), 763–794. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-021-09535-5