Forgotten Kingdoms in Sumatra

Sumatra possesses some of the most ancient cultures of South-East Asia, some magnificent traditional buildings, and a great diversity of peoples. This book, written in 1931, describes vanished civilizations and the ruins which lie in the jungle. In addition to its fathomless jungles, immense forests, and lonely hillsides, the island of Sumatra possesses the monuments and traditions of some of the most ancient cultures of South-East Asia. Forgotten Kingdoms in Sumatra, first published in 1939, offers the only general overview available of what remains from the island's classical age. It describes the vanished civilizations whose ruins lie in the jungle, tells of the Hindu antiquities, the megaliths of Nias and Samosir, and prehistoric monuments, and relates the legends and folk-tales of the region. This book will provide much pleasurable reading for anyone interested in the history, people, and culture of Sumatra.