SEA & Cambodia

When legends meet etymology: the quest for the meaning of Angkor temples names.

In English

The case against George Coedès, not as an epigraphist but as an 'historian with the wrong framework'.

In English

The visionary park-museum launched in 1963 by Lek Viriyaphant in Bangkok, "from dawn to the Siam civilization".

In English, Chinese, Thai & Korean

New perspectives on the Dvaravati take on Buddhism and its linguistic and cultural vinculation to Khmer ethnic group.

In English & Chinese

A summary of Oc Eo archaeological finds and their importance from a Vietnam touristic angle.

In English

A magnificent art collection, presented when 'provenance' only meant speculations about dates and styles, not how rightfully (or not) artworks were bought.

In English

Pluridisciplinary, encyclopaedic, ambitious and often highly enjoyable synthesis and sum of Angkorean research to the date.

In English

Back to the intellectual and aesthetical origins of Hindu architecture and its Southeast Asian derivatives, particularly in the Khmer tradition.

In English

50 kms from the city of Hoi An, My Sơn is the largest and most important of Champa’s religious architectural sites, with some seventy structures.

From divination to 'dragon bloodline' to Ancient Viet Archaeology, a profuse, unpredictable and stimulating spring of thoughts, insights and musings.

In English, Chinese & Vietnamese

The one and only Thai treatise on dance, a stunning collection of texts and illustrations dating back from 1790 onwards.

In Thai

Worship of Agni (God of Fire) and fire-shrines from Khorat and Buriram to Cambodia along 'the Angkor-Phimai route".

In English

From the "Two Sacred Ladies" to the virtuous daughter of a disgraced king,, a collection of Vietnamese folktales mixing history, legends and folklore.

In English

A joyful explosion of Thai, Khmer, Chinese, Hindu and Buddhist artistic influences in a sanctuary dedicated to devotion and creative woodcraft.

In English

Preface to a collection of documented essays on Tantrism, particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

In English

Inscriptions reflect a unified and diverse Kingdom of Champa in the 15th century, before its collapse.

In English

A pleasant read from a typical French 'grand reporter' of the 1930s who befriended famous journalist Albert Londres.

In French

How the Greeks made their own discovery of the monsoon trade winds.

Mystery surrounds the auction sale of the first 'Director of the Protectorate of Cambodia''s archive and collection in 2017.

A summary of archaeological finds shining a new light on the history of maritime trade and early Southeeast Asia.

In English

The coming to age of a young French woman at a transition period for modern Cambodia.

On the eve of King Sihanouk's centennial anniversary, a conversation with Julio Jeldres, close collaborator and witness to history.

In English

A picturesque and pertinent travelogue of the 1871 mission set to rescue Cambodian princesses from Bangkok.

In English & French

Volume I of the "Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East Series" dealt with the Kingdom of Champa, more "indianized" than Angkor.

In English

A useful tool for bibliographical research, including "Looking for" labeling.

In English, French, Thai & Dutch

An India-centered approach of Cambodia, Champa and the "Indian colonization" of Southeast Asia".

In English

The reference travelogue of Ma Huan, interperter and translator with Zheng He's flotilla: how China saw the world in the early Ming dynasty era.

In English

"Once in a glorious time in the time, there was a king who was law-abiding and generous"....

In English & Khmer

An educational platform and an essential online trove for musicologists and musicians around the world.

In English & French

Early China’s interactions with the maritime world and the eventual emergence of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) as a leading naval power in the 15th century.

In English

A crosscultural, multidisciplinary, study on water, its economic and social impact, and its symbolism.

In English

The centrality of water in Southeast Asian cosmologies.

In English

New finds in paleo-botanical studies trace the origin of majestic species in Southeast Asian rainforest back to the African continent.

In English

A multidisciplinary publication on Southeast Asia past and present.

A dynamic approach of Early South Asia and the exchanges across the Bay of Bengal.

In English

How the emergence of an 'Indic cultural sphere' can be traced across the Indian Ocean.

In English

The spread of Saivist and Buddhist influences into Pyu communities of ancient Burma.

In English

A documented profile of the later-acclaimed explorer, who had died in Laos and whose fame had not been yet established.

In French

A central element of Cambodian culture, traditions and art, the wooden house is a link connecting Ancient Angkor and modern Cambodia.

In English

The earliest contribution on Angkor published in an European scientific journal by a Southeastasian scholar.

In French

The astonishingly vivid and detailed Geography of India and Indochina by French free-thinker Élisée Reclus.

In French

Evidence from an archaeological excavation at the Prasat Hin Phimai in the 2000s.

In English

One of the oldest publications dedicated to Southeast Asian studies.

Fishing and seafaring in the history of India and her contacts with the rest of the world.

In English

An open access resource on cultural and archaelogical research across Southeast Asia.

"Although the connection of artistic features of Champa with the characteristics of South Indian art that were first noticed by art historians such as Jean...

In English & Vietnamese

More about the BBIS (Bay of Bengal Interaction Sphere).

In English

A lively description of mainland Southeast Asia in the 1820s.

In English

Did Western scholars overestimate the scope of "Indian influence" on Southeast Asia?

In English

The first volume of a remarkable account of the Siamese and Laotian societies, geographical surveys and mining explorations.

In English

Second volume of a remarkable account of the Siamese, Cambodian and Laotian societies, geographical surveys and mining explorations.

In English

The circulation of musical instruments around Asia, in particular those in bronze, and what it tells us about regional trade in ancient times.

In English

One of the most comprehensive and groundbreaking works on commercial, maritime, cultural and religious links between India and the Southeast Asian entity.

In English

How global trade, spices and maritime routes impacted the links between India and ancient Southeast Asia.

In English

The prehistory of cultural and commercial exchanges across the South China Sea and mainland Southeast Asia.

In English

The precious metal and its impact on early Southeast Asian civilizations.

In English

"The ethnographer notebooks" in Cambodia, 2015-2017

The "Island of Khmer" in the accounts of Arab travelers through the centuries.

In French & Arabic

A background reading selection about the rich and complex interrelation between India and Cambodia from ancient times to nowadays respective culinary cultures.

In English

A reference study on early Cambodia, Angkor civilization and its links to Indian culture.

In English

From the earliest times, there were substantial movement of people between the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and Southeast asia.

In English

Power struggle and ethnic minorities in pre-colonial Southeast Asia, and in particular across the Mekong Delta.

In English

Online and print cultural magazine in Vietnamese language.

Pepper and Power: Chinese Port Colonies and Khmer, Siam and Vietnamese rivalries in the Mekong Delta area.

In English

An informed portrait of Siem Reap since the times of the "rediscovery" of Angkor.

In English

A fascinating exploration of lesser known, unofficial documents and testimonies on pre-colonial Cambodia and the French push for colonization.

In English

The troubled years of mid-19th century, when Cambodia was struggling to survive as a nation.

In English

"The temple stands solitary and alone in the jungle, in too perfect order to be called a ruin, a relic of a race far ahead in all arts and sciences."

In English

These informative notes stand among the earliest descriptions of Angkor and pre-colonial Cambodia by Western travelers.

In English

An early account of Angkor and pre-colonial Cambodial included in this compendium on the Siamese Kingdom in the 1830s-1850s.

In French

Notations on Angkor and Cambodian resources by an enigmatic traveler-adventurer, J.G.G. d'Aubain.

In English

The English, more complete version of the historic travelogue by naturalist and explorer Henri Mouhot.

In English

The Khmer cultural and artistic heritage in the Siamese sphere of influence at the turn of the 20th century.

In French

A literary monument to Angkor, "Kingdom Come or Kingdom Yore".

In English

The Beat Generation forward-thinker spent five days in Angkor during his 1963 journey from India to Japan. Here is his voice.

In English

The land routes linking two neighbors, foes and trade partners, and the mutual influences in Khmer and Cham cultures.

In English

As a Netflix movie will soon re-create this moment, we revisit a visit surrounded with political tragedy, romance and desperation, and the looming Vietnam War.

In English

Political entities and terminology in early and pre-modern Southeast Asia

In English

An extraordinary friendship on the fringes of the Cold War

In English

Entry #10 in Khmer Art Worldwide Collection

Cambodia before the civll war as seen by anthropologist and historian Michael Vickery.

Anthropological resources on Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on Thailand

The website reflecting work and publications around the collection created by William Willets in 1969 at the University Art Museum, Singapore

A lively and perceptive exploration of Cambodian syncretisme from ancient times

Political, strategical, commercial and agricultural motives led to the successive emergence of Khmer capital cities after Angkor lost its central role.

In English

An interdisciplinary review founded in 1976 byt two renowned Indian scholars

A European woman's view on Southeast Asia at the turn of the 20th century

In French

A particular example of Brahmanist-Muslim syncretism in modern Southeast Asia, and what it tells us about the ancient Cham civilization

In French

A well-balanced study on cultural and artistic exchanges around ancient Southeast Asia, summarizing the author's original view on the Indianization process

In English

An English translation of Bernard-Philippe Groslier's notes on Chinese ceramics in Southeast Asia

In English

Photo depository on early Asian architecture nurtured by numerous contributors around the world

Adventurer and gifted explorer William Dampier's view on early Southeast Asia

In English

A major essay on Southeast Asian trade roads and the growing involvement of agrarian States in worlwide commerce, 7th-14th centuries.

In English

Mainly based on Chinese sources and local inscriptions, the formidable study on the Kingdom of Champa and what it tells us about Angkor

In French & Chinese

First issues of the reputed 'Orientalist' journal launched in 1890 now accessible online

Terms and Doctrines of the Pali canon compiled by Bhikku Nyanatiloka

In English & Pali

With a map of "Indochina", an expanded version of Pere Bouillevaux's 1858 book.

In French

The drive for image imitation in jewelry items and the early Southeast Asian maritime routes

In English

Audio collection of studies of Pear, Chong, Samre, Brao and Tampuan languages developed by Marie Alexandrine Martin in the 1960s and 1970s

A fascinating study on Khmer and Yunnan minority interconnection through music and dance

In English & Chinese

An Indian TV film devoted to Indian-Cambodian connection in visual arts

In English

Hon Chuong Tower, also known as Hon Ba or Ba Chang, is on the peak of Ba Mountain, over 720 meters above sea level. Location is Cat Tai Commune, Phu Cat...

In English

Back to the Siamese statesman's visit to Preah Vihear, claimed by Thai nationalists until the international recognition of Cambodia's rights in 1962

Just 20 years after the release of Wong Kar-wai’s magical movie, revisiting its final scene set in Angkor Wat

A quest for Buddha's footprint artworks from India and Sri Lanka to China to Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia

In English

How did Franciscan, Dominican and Jesuit missionaries interact with the rulers of Cambodia?

In English & Portuguese

An exploration of the spatial and numerological organization of Angkor Wat

In English

Probably the earliest botanical survey of the region by a Western observer, including some 1,600 species

In Portuguese & Latin

Mon and Mon-Khmer tribes came from the North, not from the South: new insights on an old controversy among linguists and historians.

In English

Southeast Asian Art from the Francisco Capelo Collection, Lisboa

In English

Photographer Raymond Cauchetier was in his thirties when he fulfilled a childhood dream: to see Angkor Wat.

An engrossing novel set in an Indochinese plantation in the 1910s, with an unforgettable visit to Angkor and the Bayon.

In French

An engrossing novel set in an Indochinese plantation in the 1910s, with an unforgettable visit to Angkor and the Bayon.

In French

A richly illustrated journey through Indochina, and in particular Cambodia in the early years of the French Protectorate.

In French

Where did the term 'Khmer' come from? An innovative and stimulating study.

In French

The mystery of the Plain of Jars, in modern Laos, and what it teaches us about ancient burial rites in Southeast Asia

In English

Siam, Annam, and (indirectly) Cambodia in this recollection of Tsarevich Nikolai II's travel to Asia.

In Russian

One of the first Russian extensive accounts of Cambodia at the end of the 19th century, by erudite and diplomat G.A. de Vollan

In Russian

A trove of historical notations on Russian-Siamese relations in the 19th-20th centuries

The first popularization book on Indochina published in Russia. Authored by a bestselling female writer.

In Russian

Unconventional approach of two 'success stories' in the process of state formation across Southeast Asia, inland Angkor and coastal Kedah (Malaysia)

In English

A useful synthesis of what we know about Mainland Southeast Asia before the development of larger polities, cities-states and empires

In English

How legendary animal figures, in particular makara and dragons, evolved in Cambodia under Javanese and Chinese influences, finding new, genuine forms.

In French

Origins and early development of the Kingdom of Bagan (Pagan).

In English

More about Suvarnabhumi (Sanskrit) or Suvaṇṇabhūmi (Pali), the 'Golden Land' that attracted Indian sailors to the east.

In English

The Cambodian monastery as a sacred territory where animist forces combine with Theravada canon.

In English

Revisiting the Pong Tuk site in West-Central Thailand, initially explored by G. Coedes (1927) and H. G. Quaritch Wales (1936).

In English

Preliminary introduction to the Inscriptions, Graffiti, Marks and Sketched Designs in Prasat Top Lech, previously known as Monument 486.

In English

Cultural and geographical variations of the Theravada liturgy, chanting and rituals in Southeast Asia.

In English

When war refugees became the temple keepers...7 of the 37 Jean Boulbet's photographs kept at Bophana Center were exhibited in Jan.-Feb. 2021.

An early exploration of Angkor and surrounding temples by German anthropologist Adolf Bastian.

In English

The travelogue of an early explorer and archaelogist in Angkor and Champa areas

In French

Or Ten Years' Travels, Adventures and Residence Abroad

In English

SEAArch: keep being posted about latest archaelogy findings and cultural events across Southeast Asia.

The written account that decades later inspired a best-selling book and a Hollywood musical is nevertheless a valuable document for historians.

In English

Burmese and Khmer influences on Siamese musical forms and instruments.

In English

New findings on regional kingdoms with links to Funan, Angkor and the development and collapse of the Khmer Empire.

In English & Thai

Usurper or legitimate continuator of the Indravarman dynasty in the 11th century? The case for Suryavarman I.

In English

This essay presents a selection of artefacts originating from the region of the Mediterranean Sea and mainly dating from the Roman Imperial period (here the...

In English

Ground occupation and industrial activity as indicators for the timing of the decline and fall of Angkor as a regional center of power.

In English

An exploration of pre-Angkorean urban cities, witth a focus on Ishanapura (Sambor Prei Kuk) and Mahendraparvata (Phnom Kulen).

In English

A precious online resource on Theravada reference texts, translations from Pali, Pali self-study tools.

The fascinating interaction between Mon-Khmer and Austronesian languages or dialects through the ages.

In English

Relations between genders are one of the areas in which a distinctive Southeast Asian pattern exists.

In English

A major study on regional and global trade historic phases, their impact on development of polities and kingdoms around 1th-16th centuries Southeast asia.

In English

Where did Angkor get horses from?

In English

An Indian scholar's view on Indianization, trade and syncretism across early Southeast Asia.

In English

Maps from Dutch, English and French cartographers dating back from the 17th century.

A stimulating travel blog looking for ancient kingdoms behind the facade of modernity.

The prestigious publication in Thai and Southeast Asian studies now online.

Critical assessment of the English translation by Joyanto K. Sen of a classical study, and the translator's response.

In English

На островах Индонезии в V–VIII вв. сложились индиани-зированные ранние государства.

In Russian

Archeological, architectural and historical sum on Indic influences in Southeast Asia.

In French

Rejecting the notion of 'Angkorean tradition', the author emphasizes the Siamese influence on modern times Cambodian Court Dance.

In English

Khmer relics in Burma/Myanmar, and the history of Mon-Khmer culture in the country.

In English

Were the builders of Phimai following a "visual narrative program"?

In English

Rich iconongraphy and historical background on Burmese Buddhist Art.

In English

The south- and east-bound Thai expansion considered by a renowned linguist.

In English

A useful summary of archeological research in Northeastern Thailand at the end of the 1950s

In English

A great online resource for inscriptions in the languages of south, central and south-east Asia

Where was located Chên Li Fu, a Gulf of Siam State under Khmer influence around the years 1200-1250?

In English & Chinese

Trade and maritime rivalries during the 11th century.

In English

The rivalry between Cambodia and Siam during the 17th century.

In English

Was the short-lasting King Udayadiyavarman, successor of Jayavarman V, coming from Bali and Java?

In French

From the Funan period to the peak of the Khmer Empire, the connections between Malay and Indochinese peninsulas.

In English & Chinese

The colossal Buddhas of central Thailand temples and their significance in the evolution of regional Buddhism during the 7th and 8th centuries.

In English

A presentation of the Kingdom of Champa by Georges Maspero, distinguished sinologist and orientalist.

In French

Encyclopedic entry on Khmer religion, past and present.

In English

A documented argument of the 'Fall of Angkor'.

In English

Suvarnabhumi (Sanskrit) or Suvaṇṇabhūmi (Pali) may be rendered in English as ‘Golden Earth’, ‘Golden Land’, or ‘Land of Gold’. This fabled Indian name...

In English

An essay on ascetic arts and Indic influences in ancient Cambodia and Siam.

In English

The interaction between Tantric Buddhism as developed in the Khorat region of Siam and its Khmer versions across what is no known as Cambodia.

In English

From protohistory to traditional craftmanship, from Burma to Sulawesi, a rich collection of studies in Southeast Asia arts.

In French

What happened in Khmer art and religious practice during the two last centuries of the Angkorean era?

In French

A 2010 essay on the tensions between Cambodia and Thailand regarding the iconic Preah Vihear Khmer temple.

In English

While the Angkorian civilization never developed a real monetary system, the kingdoms of Funan and Chenla did use various types of money in their transactions.

In English

A contemporary summary of various explanations regarding the decline and fall of Angkor as a "megacity".

In English

How a constellation of tribes and linguistic systems derivating from Bronze and Iron Ages led to the Angkor civilization.

In English

The major Khmer archeological sites on Thailand territory listed and briefly commented.

One of the first accounts of Angkor and the surrounding Kingdom of Cambodia by a Western traveler.

In French & Spanish

One of the first accounts of Angkor and the surrounding Kingdom of Cambodia by a Western traveler.

In English

In modern Laos and Thailand, Khmer art of building and sculpting is still highly visible

Collection of drawings and paintings from the students of the Gia Dinh Fine Arts School

In English & French

The Khoom Script, in its diverse versions, among Thai and Lao manuscripts.

In English

The first and only collection of Spanish and Portuguese written sources on Angkor, predating the Angkorian "rediscovery" by more than 300 years.

In English, Portuguese & Spanish

From bas-reliefs at the My Son Temple, Indian researchers Swati Chemburkar and Shivani Kapoor retrace the presence of an ascetic sect in pre-Angkorian and...

In English

The first published account of a visit to Angkor by an American citizen.

In English

From Phimai (Isan Province, Thailand) to Angkor, 225 km graced by Khmer Temples and ancient buildings.

In English & French

An online treasure for researchers, artists and Angkor lovers.

In French