ABSTRACT
This chapter presents Siamese history with special reference to the trend of the various currents of influence which have built up Siamese culture as it is to-day. The Siamese capital was first captured in a.d. 1569, after which Siam was overrun by the Burmese for the space of fifteen years until rescued by the efforts of the hero King Naresvara. The personal religious inclinations of Siamese kings usually left their mark on the State Ceremonies of the time. The vast numbers of Chinese coolies and merchants who have taken up their abode in Bangkok have had no influence whatever on Siamese culture. Indian influence on Siamese culture was partly the result of direct contact with Indian settlers, but mainly it was brought about indirectly via the Indianized kingdoms of Dvaravati, Srivijaya, and Cambodia. Cultural resemblances are entirely due to a common origin, both the Burmese and Siamese owing much to the earlier Indian civilization of the Mons.
