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English summary: "Siam": the very name fires the imagination and evokes the myth of a refined and sumptuous Asia, symbolized by its two ancient capitals -Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. It is also a country with a complex history, whose inner workings Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h helps us to understand and in which many ethnic groups have played a part, including the Thais. After entering the country, where they settled in the 10th and 11th centuries, the latter quickly rose to the top of Siam's political and economic circles, founding a curious and powerful clandestine empire that still exists today.This guide describes and analyzes the country's economic life, religious practices, favourite pastimes and literature, as well as its political and social organizations. Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h -a former CNRS Research Director whose previous field of interest was the History and Archaeology of India and Southeast Asia- is now a professor at Sorbonne nouvelle (Paris III). French description: Le Siam... Le nom suscite encore le reve puisqu'il attire les voyageurs en quete d'une Asie fastueuse et raffinee dont le parfum emane toujours de ses anciennes capitales, Ayutthaya et Sukhothai. En surgit l'evocation d'un royaume souvent brillant, celui des Thais qui se revelerent extraordinairement doues pour assimiler le meilleur des civilisations qui les avaient precedes et s'en approprier peu a peu les territoires. Ce guide analyse ce que fut la culture lentement elaboree de ce peuple a son apogee, soit a la fin du XVIIe siecle.