102 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



ANTHROPOLOGY. 



INDO-CHINESE CIVILIZATION. 



BY A. B. STOUT, M. D. 



\_Read before the Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, Cal.] 



At the last meeting of the Indo-Chinese Academic Society, of Paris, the 

 Marquis de Crozier announced the return of Lieutenant Delaporte of the French 

 Navy, member of the Society and principal officer of the Archaeological Commis- 

 sion of Cambodia, who has just arrived at Toulon on the Government transport, 

 the Tonquin, and publishes the principal results derived from the Commission. 



M. Delaporte, accompanied by a part of his staff, departed from Marseilles 

 on the 3rd day of October, 1881. On his arrival at Saigon, he was received with 

 the utmost hospitality by M. Le Myre de Vilers, Governor of Cochin China, who 

 immediately placed a steamer at his disposal and accorded to him, through the 

 Cplonial Council, an appropriation of 8000 francs for the initiatory expenses of 

 his journey. The important navigation company, "Roque," offered him their 

 steam cutters, proposing to transport gratuitously his staff aud material during 

 the entire continuance of his explorations. L. Foures, temporary representative 

 of the French Protectorate of Cambodia during the absence of M. Aymonier, oc- 

 cupied himself sedulously in facilitating the final equipment of the explorers. 



From Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, M. Delaporte went directly to 

 the ruins of Angkor. There he was enabled finally to solve the difficult problem 

 of the destination of the religious edifices of that ancient metropolis of Indo- 

 Chinese civilization. His discoveries have warranted him the conclusion, both 

 interesting and unexpected, that the ancient Khmer temples were dedicated to 

 Brahmanism. In his explorations at Angkor- Vat, he exposed on its eminences 

 the chefs d'ceuvres of Cambodian sculpture of bas-reliefs, formerly briUiantly gild- 

 ed pediments and entablatures, all the designs of which, as well as those which 

 decorated the most interior sanctuary, are consecrated to the exploits of Rama 

 and to the glory of Vichnu. To these gods then was Angkor- Vat dedicated. At 

 Angkor-Tom new monuments were found, the most of which presented in the 

 principal entablatures the exploits of Rama and of Vichnu. He there verified 

 the presence of the emblem of Siva — the linga or phallus of the ancients. He 

 excavated and removed the debris from the ancient palace of the Khmer kings, 

 and thus brought to light the most grandiose and marvelous sculpture ; terraces 

 superposed on each other, decorated with superb compositions in bas-relief. The 

 tricephalic elephant Iravalti is there enthroned in all the places of honor, and, 

 also, in the angles of all the gates of the city, where he appears mounted by the 



