Southeast Asia, Khmer Empire (Angkor culture), c. 12th century AD A charming ceramic lime pot in the shape of a particularly round elephant. The globular body is supported by four strong legs. Very richly decorated, royal elephant. Part of larger Swedish collection. By the early 1000s, much of Thailand had been consolidated under Khmer rule (802–1437 CE). A highway linking the Khorat Plateau—site of Ban Chiang ceramic production, an example of which is in the case at far left—to Angkor (in present-day Cambodia) increased regional trade and the distribution of distinctive chocolate-glazed ceramics in animal forms. This regally attired elephant resembles those used in Khmer royal processions. Such a ceramic container likely stored lime, an ingredient used in the preparation of betel, a mild stimulant popular throughout Southeast Asia.