The Khmer Empire existed from around 800 AD to 1432 AD. Its borders contained nowaday places Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. They were an agricultural community, and mainly feasted on rice and fish. Unlike many other cultures of the time, women run most of the trade and economy in the marketplaces. Khmer kings expanded their empire, making it one of the largest at the time. Their biggest achievements include the building of large temples, the most well preserved being Angkor Wat, which is bigger than any English Cathedral and was way ahead of its time in the techniques used to build it. But it is not only the temple that is an achievement but also the moat surrounding and under it, which was man made. Canals were also used by the Khmer Empire. The structure was built using elephants, bamboo scaffolding (similar to the scaffolding we use today) and other tools. There was more stone used in the building of Angkor Wat than all the Egyptian pyramids combined. Many other temples similar to this one were also created, one of which was made with gold, which would have been worth US$3.3 billion. But a problem was coming. At the end of the Medieval Period, large changes in climate forced the Khmer hydraulic network to fall into disrepair. Khmer kings moved to the coast, and the huge amounts of land that the Khmer kings had taken was lost. All that remains are the amazing stone structures.