A traveler in Siam in the year 1655 : extracts from the journal of Gijsbert Heeck, 16 November 1654 and 12 August-18 October 1655 / translated and introduced by Barend Jan Terwiel ; transcribed from the handwritten Dutch manuscript by Renée Hoogenraad.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heeck, Gijsbert, 1619-1669.

Contributor:

Terwiel, B. J.

Language:

Dutch

English

Subjects (All):

Heeck, Gijsbert, 1619-1669.

Dutch.

History.

Travel.

Thailand--Description and travel--Early works to 1800.

Thailand.

Heeck, Gijsbert, 1619-1669--Travel--Thailand.

Heeck, Gijsbert.

Heeck, Gijsbert, 1619-1669--Diaries.

Dutch--Thailand--History--17th century--Sources.

Travelers' writings, Dutch.

Genre:

Sources.

Diaries.

Physical Description:

v, 124 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Extracts from the journal of Gijsbert Heeck, 16 November 1654 and 12 August-18 October 1655

Place of Publication:

Chiang Mai, Thailand : Silkworm Books, [2008]

Language Note:

Text in English and Dutch.

Summary:

Gijsbert Heeck (1619-1669) was a medicinal specialist who served the Dutch East India Company (VOC). His journal, written more than three hundred and fifty years ago, is based on the daily notes he made during his third trip to the East. This volume presents the selections from his journal that deal with Siam, accompanied by the original Dutch text.

Heeck reveals how Siamese authorities reacted to a violent confrontation between the Dutch and the Portuguese. He gives a detailed description of the Dutch lodge in Ayutthaya, and also bits of information on the relationships of local Dutch men with indigenous women. His record of villages along the Chao Phraya River that specialized in making coffins, preparing and selling firewood, painting, and producting earthenware signals the existence of a complex economy in this part of Siam. Compared with other seventeenth-century descriptions of the landscape, Heeck's journals provide more information on population, scenery, traffic, trade, and religious establishments than all the others combined. He also provides a unique early perspective on local social arrangements and political intrigue, and on interactions between the Dutch and the locals.

This publication is the initiative of a group of Dutch and Thai scholars who intend to provide access to important Dutch texts about Siam from the VOC period by translating them into English along with a transcript of the original Dutch text. Heeck's journal was chosen for the strength of its observations of mid-seventeenth century Siam. Book jacket.

Contents:

The manuscript 3

The journal and Thai history 4

The historical value of the segment concerning Siam 9

a Aftermath of the battle with the Portuguese 9

b Additions to the Thai historical record 11

c Historical geography of the lower Chao Phraya 12

d Gender studies 15

e The lodge, the warehouse, and technology transfer 16

f Ayutthaya in 1655 17

g Reminiscences 17

Cultural clashes in Heeck's account 18

Technical information on the translation 21

A Traveler in Siam in the Year 1655 27

Dagelijcxsz Aenteijkeninge 12 Augustus-18 October 1655 76.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9789749511350

9749511352

OCLC:

183264967