George Coedès
Encyclopedia
Georges Cœdès was a 20th century scholar of southeast Asia
n archaeology
and history
. Coedès was born in Paris
to a family of supposed Hungarian-Jewish emigres. In fact, the family was known as having settled in the region of Strasbourg (France) before 1740. His ancestors were working for the royal Treasury. His grandfather, Louis Eugène Coedès was a painter, pupil of Léon Coignet. His father Hyppolite worked as a banker. Coedès became director of the National Library of Thailand
in 1918, and in 1929 became director of L'École française d'Extrême-Orient
, where he remained until 1946. Thereafter he lived in Paris
until he died in 1969. He wrote two seminal texts in the field, The Indianized States of Southeast Asia (1968, 1975) and The Making of South East Asia (1966), as well as innumerable articles, in which he developed the concept of the Indianized kingdom. However, the modern consensus is that the Indianization was less complete than Coedès had believed, with many indigenous practices surviving underneath the Indian surface.
Georges Coedès is credited with rediscovering the former kingdom of Srivijaya
, centred around the modern-day Indonesian city of Palembang
, but with influence extending from Sumatra
through to the Malay Peninsula
and Java
. Some Indonesians, including those of the Palembang area, had not heard of Srivijaya until the 1920s, when Coedès published his discoveries and interpretations in Dutch and Indonesian-language newspapers., however amongst the educated elite and nobility the history of successive kingdoms and their fates and royal lineage were well known.
of Thailand:
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. Coedès was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to a family of supposed Hungarian-Jewish emigres. In fact, the family was known as having settled in the region of Strasbourg (France) before 1740. His ancestors were working for the royal Treasury. His grandfather, Louis Eugène Coedès was a painter, pupil of Léon Coignet. His father Hyppolite worked as a banker. Coedès became director of the National Library of Thailand
National Library of Thailand
The National Library of Thailand is the legal deposit and copyright library for Thailand. It was created in 1905, after the merger of the three pre-existing royal libraries...
in 1918, and in 1929 became director of L'École française d'Extrême-Orient
École française d'Extrême-Orient
The École française d'Extrême-Orient is a French institute dedicated to the study of Asian societies. Translated into English, it approximately means the French School of the Far East. It was founded in 1900 with headquarters in Hanoi in what was then French Indochina. After independence, its...
, where he remained until 1946. Thereafter he lived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
until he died in 1969. He wrote two seminal texts in the field, The Indianized States of Southeast Asia (1968, 1975) and The Making of South East Asia (1966), as well as innumerable articles, in which he developed the concept of the Indianized kingdom. However, the modern consensus is that the Indianization was less complete than Coedès had believed, with many indigenous practices surviving underneath the Indian surface.
Georges Coedès is credited with rediscovering the former kingdom of Srivijaya
Srivijaya
Srivijaya was a powerful ancient thalassocratic Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra, modern day Indonesia, which influenced much of Southeast Asia. The earliest solid proof of its existence dates from the 7th century; a Chinese monk, I-Tsing, wrote that he visited Srivijaya in 671 for 6...
, centred around the modern-day Indonesian city of Palembang
Palembang
Palembang is the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square...
, but with influence extending from Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
through to the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
and Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
. Some Indonesians, including those of the Palembang area, had not heard of Srivijaya until the 1920s, when Coedès published his discoveries and interpretations in Dutch and Indonesian-language newspapers., however amongst the educated elite and nobility the history of successive kingdoms and their fates and royal lineage were well known.
Decorations
Coedès received the following royal decoration in the Honours SystemThai Honours Order of Precedence
State decorations awarded by Thailand take the form of orders and medals. This page lists them by order of precedence.-Royal decorations:# Knight and Dame of the Most Auspicious Order of the Rajamitrabhorn...
of Thailand:
- 1919 -
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Commander (Third Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White ElephantOrder of the White ElephantThe Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:...
(Thailand) - 1926 -
Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(France).
Further reading
- Higham, Charles (2001). The Civilization of Angkor. Phoenix. ISBN 1-84212-584-2.
- National Library of Australia. Asia's French Connection : Georges Coedes and the Coedes Collection