The Journal of the Siam Society

A Pre-Angkorian Bronze Bodhisattva at the Art Institute of Chicago

Nicolas Revire — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article examines a small pre-Angkorian bodhisattva in bronze (7th–8th century) at the Art Institute of Chicago, traditionally identified as Maitreya but never studied in depth. Its iconography, style, and casting technique are considered within the Mon–Khmer corpus of early mainland Southeast Asian Buddhist imagery. The study reassesses the absence of archeological context and the unsubstantiated attribution to the so-called Prakhon Chai or Plai Bat Hill hoard in northeast Thailand, discovered in the 1960s. Attention is given to its acquisition through a New York–based dealer, likely connected to Bangkok networks, revealing the complex modern circulation of Southeast Asian antiquities.

Editorial & Contents

Nicolas Revire — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

George Cœdès (1886–1969)

Jean Baffie — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article offers a comprehensive biographical study of George Cœdès (1886–1969), the pioneering French scholar who helped define the historical contours of ancient Southeast Asia. Tracing his intellectual formation, career in Siam and Indochina, leadership of the École française d’Extrême-Orient, and enduring influence in Thai and Khmer scholarship, the article reassesses Cœdès’s contributions, methods, and legacy. Drawing on unpublished correspondence, Thai-language sources, and posthumous tributes, it highlights both his personal modesty and the authoritative role he came to occupy in shaping the historiography of the region.

Voyage à Angkor (1912)

Thissana Weerakietsoontorn — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This note presents an annotated translation and commentary on Voyage à Angkor, a travel journal George Cœdès wrote during his first journey to Angkor in April–May 1912 for his family in Paris. The diary recounts his expedition from Phnom Penh to Angkor and back. Although it offers only limited observations of the archeological sites themselves, the account provides a vivid portrayal of the travel conditions, daily life, and working environment of archeologists in Cambodia in the early 20th century.

George Cœdès and Śrīvijaya

Pierre-Yves Manguin — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

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.

George Cœdès à Batavia (1928)

Bernard Cros — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

In April 1928, George Cœdès attended the 150th anniversary of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences of Batavia (today Jakarta) as Secretary-General of the Royal Institute of Bangkok and President of the Siam Society. Honored for his work on Śrīvijaya, he toured key Javanese sites, including Borobudur and Prambanan, and observed advanced restoration methods such as anastylosis. These experiences deeply influenced his subsequent work and responsibilities, shaping Khmer temple conservation and restoration in Southeast Asia for decades.

Une correspondance de 1928 entre George Cœdès et Paul Pelliot sur Xianluo (Siam)

Michel Lorrillard — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article publishes and annotates a 1928 correspondence between George Cœdès and Paul Pelliot concerning the identification of “Sien-lo” (Xianluo 暹羅) in Chinese sources relating to early Siam. Accompanied by a commentary on late 13th-century Siamese history, the exchange highlights the methodological challenges faced by two pioneers and leading French scholars of Asia in reconstructing Southeast Asia’s early past. Beyond its documentary interest, this article underscores enduring uncertainties about the emergence of the first territorial and political entities in Thai history, questions that remain largely unresolved despite subsequent advances in the field.

In the Shadow of George Cœdès

Gregory Kourilsky — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

In October 1929, the young French architect Jean-Yves Claeys (1896–1978), newly appointed as a permanent member of the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), embarked on a two-month archeological mission in Siam. He traveled from south to north―Chaiya to Chiang Saen―passing through Ayutthaya, Phetchaburi, Chiang Mai, and other historic cities. Working in the shadow of George Cœdès, who played a key role in shaping the mission, Claeys nonetheless contributed original observations and documentation. His fieldwork resulted in a substantial article published in 1931 and was also captured in a silent documentary film that now serves as a valuable archival record. This article revisits the origins and trajectory of Claeys’s mission and examines its significance within the broader context of the EFEO’s relations with Siamese scholarly institutions at the time.

In Memoriam

François Lagirarde — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Moving Objects

Natasha Reichle — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Temples and Elephants

Anne Håbu — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Siam–Vietnam Relations During the Reign of King Rama I

Hiroshi Kawaguchi — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article examines Siam–Vietnam relations by analyzing exchanges of envoys and correspondence between Siam, Vietnam, Konbaung Burma, and Qing China between 1782 and 1802. The roles of Burma and the Qing have often been overlooked. King Rama I (r. 1782–1809) sought support from Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, the future Emperor Gia Long (r. 1802–1820), and also appealed to the Qing, but the Qing declined to intervene. Meanwhile, Burmese interference hindered Siamese efforts to aid Ánh against the Tây Sơn regime, which by 1801 had established ties with Burma. Nguyễn unification in 1802 reshaped regional alignments and laid the foundation for closer Siamese–Vietnamese relations.

Nai Mot’s Printing of the Three Seals Law in 1849/50

Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

When Nai Mot Amatyakul (1819–1896) attempted the first printing of the Three Seals Law in 1849/50, King Rama III (r. 1824–1851) ordered the books seized and destroyed—a pivotal moment in Siam’s confrontation with the West and modernity. Scholarly accounts of this incident vary on the details and lack any citation of the sources for their information. Several accounts state that only one volume of Mot’s printing survives (in the National Library of Thailand). The recent unearthing of a second copy at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris is an occasion to review the contemporary sources on the incident and locate it in the context of events before and after.

The Role of Lan Na Women in Historical Perspective

Pakdeekul Ratana — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article examines and interprets the social construction of women’s roles within the historical context and background of the Lan Na Kingdom. The historical, political, economic, and socio-cultural characteristics of the region influenced the construction and refinement of male and female gender roles. These social processes created parallel and nuanced relationships between the roles of men and women, allowing Lan Na women to engage actively and harmoniously alongside men in several activities.

Nature for the Nation?

Tinakrit Sireerat — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article revisits the history of Siam’s Royal Forest Department (RFD) in the early 20th century, focusing on two key policies: replacing British staff with young Siamese officers and reserving concessions for the state logging industry and local firms. While official accounts frame these as nationalist reforms under King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), this study argues for continuity with earlier regimes and highlights the limited impact of nationalism. By situating Siam within the global teak trade, this article shows how the RFD reinforced Siam’s role as a raw material supplier, resembling a colonial economy rather than resisting it.

From Chao Phraya to Irrawaddy

Saranpat Boonhok, Tongchen Hou — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

From Chao Phraya to Irrawaddy is a Thai historical drama aired on Thai PBS in 2022 that reconstructs stereotypes as it reimagines the historical and cultural relationship between Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar). Drawing on the shared literary traditions of Inao and the Rāmāyaṇa, this article argues that the drama generates a sense of “intermediality” and “in-betweenness”, employing “national” literature as a means of critiquing Thai nationalism. These texts mediate conceptions of nationhood and identity, fostering shared cultural heritage, while the Rāmāyaṇa reflects tensions between state power and individual lives, challenging nationalist discourse.

Joyce C. White & Elizabeth G. Hamilton, eds, Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2D: Catalogs for Metals and Related Materials from Ban Chiang, Ban Tong, Ban Phak Top, and Dong Klang

Tzehuey Chiou-Peng — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Natali Pearson, Belitung: The Afterlives of a Shipwreck

Stephen A. Murphy — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Mitch Hendrickson, Miriam T. Stark & Damian Evans, eds, The Angkorian World

Dougald O’Reilly — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

L.S. Cousins, ed. by Sarah Shaw, Meditations of the Pali Tradition: Illuminating Buddhist Doctrine, History & Practice

Alexander Wynne — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Bénédicte Brac de La Perrière & Peter A. Jackson, eds, Spirit Possession in Buddhist Southeast Asia: Worlds Ever More Enchanted

Stéphane Rennesson — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Sally Frances Low, Colonial Law Making: Cambodia under the French

Grégory Mikaelian — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Éric Gojosso, Aux Origines du Laos : La guerre franco-thaïlandaise et le protectorat de Luang Prabang

Søren Ivarsson — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Penpisoot Kwan Maitrarat, Roger Openshaw & Margaret Walshaw, eds, The History of Higher Education in Thailand: Confronting Challenges

Tej Bunnag — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

T.K. Sabapathy & Patrick D. Flores, eds, The Modern in Southeast Asian Art: A Reader

Yvonne Low — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Amaury Lorin, Variations birmanes

San San Hnin Tun — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700