George Cœdès and Śrīvijaya From Epigraphy to Archeology
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Abstract
In 1918, George Cœdès was instrumental in revealing the existence of the maritime polity of Śrīvijaya (7th–13th century). In doing so, he also initiated the study of Old Malay, the main language used in the inscriptions issued by Śrīvijaya. This article examines the intellectual process that led him to this “discovery”. It also discusses the debates that followed, particularly concerning the location of Śrīvijaya’s capital―whether in southeast Sumatra or in the Thai‒Malay Peninsula. Finally, the article reviews recent advances in Sumatran archeology that confirmed Cœdès’s conviction that the political heart of Śrīvijaya was located in Sumatra and examines aspects of the polity’s history that he left unexplored.
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