Majapahit's Rice Economy: Feeding an Empire of 200,000

Lucas and Luna explore the agricultural backbone of Majapahit: how the empire fed its capital Trowulan, home to perhaps 200,000 people. They discuss the rice terraces of the Brantas River delta, the irrigation networks managed by the state, the role of wet-rice (sawah) agriculture, and the labor system that kept the granaries full. Lucas explains how the Majapahit kings, especially Hayam Wuruk, invested in water control — canals, dams, and the famous Candi Tikus reservoir — to ensure surplus harvests. They also touch on the tax system recorded in the Negarakertagama, where villages paid in rice and other crops. Luna asks about the social structure of farmers and whether there were famines. Lucas ties it to the empire's eventual decline: when the kepeng coinage collapsed and trade faltered, the rice surplus that had sustained Trowulan also dwindled, contributing to the capital's abandonment. A concrete, previously unexamined angle on Majapahit's daily life and sustainability. #Majapahit #MajapahitRice #Trowulan #HayamWuruk #Negarakertagama #BrantasRiver #CandiTikus #WetRiceAgriculture #Sawah #Kepeng #HistoryOfRice #SoutheastAsianHistory #IndonesianHistory #AncientAgriculture #Irrigation #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo