Book excerpt: For the last century and a half, the name of Padang Lawas, in the present province of North Sumatra, Indonesia, has been associated with a number of isolated Hindu- Buddhist remains located in the middle of the island. These remains are all the more remarkable because they form the largest Indianized archaeological complex yet to be seen in the northern half of Sumatra. This book is the latest contribution to the accumulation of knowledge on the ancient history of Padang Lawas. The ?fteen studies brought together here present the main results of the archaeological research programme conducted from 2006 until 2010 by the Ecole francaise d’Extréme-Orient in cooperation with the Indonesian National Centre for Archaeological Research. This programme was focused on one of the sites known in this region, namely Si Pamutung, presently located near the con?uence of the Bammun and Batang Pane Rivers. These contributions are devoted ?rstly to the directly visible features of Si Pamutung, namely its environmental setting and its Hindu-Buddhist remains made of brick and stone.