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 The photographs, most of them as yet unpublished, will all eventually be digitised.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
Announcement
Indonesia, 29 May 2025
On the occasion of the French President's State visit to Indonesia on 28 and 29 May 2025, the Director of the EFEO, Nicolas Fiévé, has signed a partnership agreement with the Indonesian Heritage Agency (IHA) in the presence of Madame Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture.
Call for applications for 5 doctoral contracts 2025-2028
Paris, France, 04 May 2025
The call for applications for 5 Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) doctoral contracts with a focus on French schools abroad (EFE) 2025-2028 is open. The application documents can be sent until 30 April 2023, 3 p.m. (Paris time), according to the procedures of each EFE: For more information.

Conditions and procedures for the EFEO (in French)
New publication
Paris, France,


Arts Asiatiques 79 (2024)

École française d'Extrême-Orient, Paris, 2025, 164 pages.

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EFEO Field Scholarships - 2nd Semester 2025
Paris, France, 31 March 2025
The deadline for submitting an application to an EFEO Field Scholarships for Master and PhD students enabling a field study in Asia at one of the EFEO centers is set to the 31st of March 2025.
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New Publication
Paris, France,

Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient 110 (2024)
École française d'Extrême-Orient, Paris, 2025, 436 pages

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