tribal confederation · South Asia
Kamboja
Origins
The Kambojas are named by the grammarian Panini and in Buddhist lists of the sixteen great states. They lived north-west of Gandhara, probably in north-eastern Afghanistan and the hills of north-western Pakistan. The Vedic etymologist Yaska noted that they used an Iranian word for to go, and many scholars see them as an Iranian-speaking people.
Rule and society
Kautilya's Arthashastra describes the Kambojas as a sangha whose members lived by trade and arms, suggesting rule by a warrior aristocracy rather than a king. Indian literature praised Kamboja horses and cavalry, and the epics place Kamboja horsemen on the battlefield. Little else is known of their society or religion.
Decline and legacy
Their lands fell under Achaemenid rule and were overrun by Alexander's army around 327 BCE; some scholars identify the Aspasioi and Assakenoi he fought as Kamboja groups. The Maurya Empire later absorbed them, and Ashoka's edicts name the Kambojas among the frontier peoples of his realm.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Kamboja paid tribute to Achaemenid Empire518 BCE – 330 BCE
- Kamboja was conquered by Macedonian Empire327 BCE – 326 BCE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kamboja. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kamboja
- MLA
- “Kamboja.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kamboja. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kamboja.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kamboja.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kamboja’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kamboja (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻