"Scientific Investigation of Copies, Fakes and Forgeries is a comprehensive guide to the technical and scientific study of the authenticity of a wide range of antiquities and artworks. It is the first book to provide a full survey of the subject of forgery from a scientific basis, examining a wide range of materials and techniques." "The demand for copies, fakes and forgeries is driven by rising prices in an international marketplace. The book examines the available new technologies and ever more sophisticated forging techniques, looking at production and distribution of fraudulent artworks. The subject is exemplified by numerous internationally based case studies, some turning out not to be as conclusive as is sometimes believed." "The book is aimed at those who need to understand the available approaches to and methods of scientific and technical authentication, be they curator, collector, conservator or scientist." --Book Jacket.

In praise of Prambanan is devoted to the Hindu-Javanese temple complex of Candi Prambanan, also known by its locally more popular name of Candi Loro Jonggrang. The book has two parts. Part One is a general introduction to the temple complex based on an examination of the existing scholarly literature. It offers a detailed state-of-the-art survey of publications on Candi Prambanan as well as of the religious conditions which made its creation possible. Part Two contains a selection of important articles—in English translation—about the temple complex by prominent Dutch scholars all of whom had first-hand knowledge of it: J.W. IJzerman, J.Ph. Vogel, N.J. Krom, F.D.K. Bosch, B. de Haan, W.F. Stutterheim, V.R. van Romondt and A.J. Bernet Kempers. The book is richly illustrated with photographs, drawings and maps.

Ancient Southeast Asia provides readers with a much needed synthesis of the latest discoveries and research in the archaeology of the region, presenting the evolution of complex societies in Southeast Asia from the protohistoric period, beginning around 500BC, to the arrival of British and Dutch colonists in 1600. Well-illustrated throughout, this comprehensive account explores the factors which established Southeast Asia as an area of unique cultural fusion. Miksic and Goh explore how the local population exploited the abundant resources available, developing maritime transport routes which resulted in economic and cultural wealth, including some of the most elaborate art styles and monumental complexes ever constructed. The book’s broad geographical and temporal coverage, including a chapter on the natural environment, provides readers with the context needed to understand this staggeringly diverse region. It utilizes French, Dutch, Chinese, Malay-Indonesian and Burmese sources and synthesizes interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives and data from archaeology, history and art history. Offering key opportunities for comparative research with other centres of early socio-economic complexity, Ancient Southeast Asia establishes the area’s importance in world history.

The question “how has ancient India’s incredibly rich literary heritage been visually represented” forms the centerpiece of this latest volume in Brill’s series Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology. Due to the overwhelming impression made by the texts themselves, the relationship between text and image has until now never received the attention it deserves. Numerous temples, though, not only in South Asia, but also in Southeast Asia carry the images of India’s great narratives. Special attention is given to those in Karnataka (India), Java (Indonesia), Angkor (Cambodia), and Tra Kieu (Vietnam). The work discusses theoretical aspects, provides new interpretations, and proposes innovative interpretations through advanced comparative and contextual approaches.

A rich collection of lengthy and thorough articles about such a broad field as the history, art and archeology of South and Southeast Asia, this volume is a worthy tribute to a great scholar. Professor J. G. de Casparis has lectured and published widely both at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London and at the Departments of South and Southeast Asian Studies in Leiden. Inspired by his lifelong devotion to this field, his former colleagues and students, now spread over many countries in Asia and the West, present the selected fruits of their research as a token of friendship and admiration. Epigraphy is the main theme in most of the thirty articles contained in this volume, but others focus on the Borobudur, the Old-Javanese calendar, books and writing materials, Buddhist iconography, and important issues such as the nature of the ‘lasting relationship’ between South and Southeast Asia, particularly in pre-Islamic times. All authors share the outspoken historical and textual approach, so characteristic of the work of Professor de Casparis and his circle, thus giving this book its inner coherence and consistency. This book is not just a random collection of papers. The scope and richness of the contributions will not fail to appeal to new generations of scholars and students working in this field, and as such this book is expected to fulfill its own role in the transmission of knowledge regarding the great civilizations of ancient South and Southeast Asia.

This volume is the first tangible result of an international project initiated by the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) with the aim of compiling a bibliographic database documenting publications on South and Southeast Asian art and archaeology. The bibliographic information, over 1,300 records extracted from the database, forms the principal part of this publication. It is preceded by a list of periodicals consulted and followed by three types of indexes which help users to find their way in the ABIA South and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology Index (ABIA Index). The detailed bibliographic descriptions, controlled keywords and many elucidating annotations make this reference work into an indispensable guide to recent scholarly work on the prehistory and arts of South/Southeast Asia.

In 1997 Michael Flecker investigated a shipwreck in the north Java sea. The wreck comprised the remains of a mid 10th-century ship with its cargo of thousands of ceramic and non-ceramic artefacts. This report describes the methodology and aims of the underwater operation, discusses the finds that were recovered and places these within the context of maritime archaeology in southeast Asia. Flecker evaluates the evidence from the Intan shipwreck alongside contemporary historical information about sea travel, ports, trade routes and cargoes.