Bagan and the World: Early Myanmar and Its Global Connections

The archaeological site of Bagan and the kingdom which bore its name contains one of the greatest concentrations of ancient architecture and art in Asia. Much of what is visible today consists of ruins of Buddhist monasteries. While these monuments are a major tourist attraction, recent advances in archaeology and textual history have added considerable new understanding of this kingdom, which flourished between the 11th and 14th centuries. Bagan was not an isolated monastic site; its inhabitants participated actively in networks of Buddhist religious activity and commerce, abetted by the sites, location near the junction where South Asia, China and Southeast Asia meet.

• Geok Yian Goh, Editor

  Goh Geok Yian is associate professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

• John N. Miksic, Editor

  John N. Miksic is professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.

• Michael A. Aung-Thwin, Editor

  Michael A. Aung-Thwin is professor of Asian studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.