Search site...
Login
Become a Fellow

Welcome to the Royal Asiatic Society

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar, Henry Thomas Colebrooke, on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 ‘for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia’.

MORE ABOUT US

Asia and the RAS

The Society provides a forum for its members and anyone interested in the history, languages, cultures, and religions of Asia to meet and exchange ideas. The Society organises lectures and events, awards prizes for outstanding research in the field of Asian Studies, provides access to its historic collections of manuscripts, books and artworks, and publishes scholarly research in its Journal and monographs.

Upcoming Events

19 March 2026 (Thursday)

(Japan Series) Junzo Uchiyama – Surviving the Apocalypse: Catastrophe Archaeology in Ancient Japan

19 March 2026 (Thursday)

Read more
26 March 2026 (Thursday)

Dr Melanie Gibson – Frederic Leighton: A Victorian Traveller and Collector in the Middle East

26 March 2026 (Thursday)

Read more
31 March 2026 (Tuesday)

(Japan Series) Kitazawa Hideta – Noh theatre masks: demonstration and discussion

31 March 2026 (Tuesday)

Read more
SEE ALL EVENTS

Latest from the Society

READ ALL POSTS

The RAS on Instagram