Collections

Photolibrary Collections

The EFEO's collection of photographs and glass plates constitutes an exceptional documentary resource (archaeology, statuary, architecture, epigraphy, ethnography, etc.) covering many different countries (Cambodia, Vietnam, India, China, Thailand, Laos, etc.). Based on photographs taken during archaeological excavations and expeditions carried out by the School since 1910, the collection gradually expanded thanks to a number of gifts (the Dalet, Bacot, Boulbet, and Bénisti holdings, among others). The photographs, most of them as yet unpublished, will all eventually be digitised.

The photographic collection is of major historic interest. Some of the images feature archaeological sites and monuments before they suffered the irreparable effects of war and pillage; used in conjunction with diaries from archaeological excavations, they make it possible to recreate the way in which restoration work and research was conducted on a day-to-day basis.

Some figures:

  • CAMBODIA: 30,000 indexed digital photos (archaeology, architecture, statuary, iconography, epigraphy, ethnography, etc.);
  • VIETNAM: approximately 7,000 photos (archaeology, iconography, museum collections, etc.) as well as 1,500 indexed digital photos of the Champa region;
  • CHINA: approximately 3,000 photos (archaeology, ethnology, art, museography, graphic documents, etc.);
  • INDIA: several thousand photos;
  • LAOS: 3,000 photos, of which approximately 1,200 dealing with ethnology;
  • SIAM: approximately 2,000 photos (archaeology, various sites, museum collections, etc.)
  • 7,000 glass plates - mostly of Cambodia and Vietnam - have been digitised (the H. Marchal, H. Parmentier, J. Bacot, L. Finot, Ch. Carpeaux collections).
EFEO News
New Publication
Paris, France,

Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient 108 (2022), École française d'Extrême-Orient, Paris, 2022, 456 pages


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26th Rendez-vous de l'histoire in Blois
Blois, France,

The Réseau des Écoles françaises à l'Étranger - ResEFE - is taking part in the 26th Rendez-vous de l'histoire in Blois as part of its Carte blanche: "À tombeaux ouverts: les vivants face aux morts de l'Europe à l'Extrême-Orient."
Saturday, October 7, 9-10.30 a.m., Site Jaurès University, Amphi 2, Blois.

From October 8 to 10 the 5 EFEs will have a book stand at the Blois history book fair, represented by the bookshop Lerycerp (space N, stands 76 to 80, on the map).
Death of Bruno Dagens
Strasbourg, France, 17 September 2023
It is with great sorrow that we have learned the passing of Professor Bruno Dagens on September 17, 2023. He was a member of the EFEO from 1969 to 1986. A renowned specialist in India and Cambodia, many of us followed his teaching of the history of Cambodian art at the Sorbonne-Nouvelle University (Paris-III). Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
In Memoriam Damian Evans
Paris, France, 12 September 2023
It is with deepest regret to inform you of the passing of Damian Evans on Sept 12 in Paris, France. For the last two years our dear friend and colleague had been tenaciously fighting an aggressive form of cancer. He died peacefully, accompanied by close family and will be deeply missed by those who knew and worked with him.

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Death of GĂ©rard Diffloth (1939 - 2023)
Surin, Thailand, 21 August 2023
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death on August 14 of our former colleague Gérard Diffloth, who was a member of the École française d'Extrême-Orient from 2000 to 2004, and then an associate researcher at the EFEO from 2004 to 2020.

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