At a time when sea navigation depended more on the skill and courage of sailors than on technology, men were nonetheless able to build maritime regional empires that stretched from Indochina to the Indonesian Archipelago. This book, which draws on a huge body of archaeological and documentary research, provides a much-needed overview of the history of the Malay Peninsula and insular Southeast Asia from its earliest times to the 16th century. It also provides an in-depth analysis of the international context of the political, economic and social evolution of these kingdoms, and so provides a useful background to the modern history of the region. This is an excellent book for those with a keen interest in the ancient history of the first kingdoms of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian Archipelago.