A receptacle on the ‘Plain of Jars’ was used as a repository for human bones for generations.
18 May 2026
A receptacle on the ‘Plain of Jars’ was used as a repository for human bones for generations.
Study of a huge stone container in Laos showed that it was used between AD 890 and 1160. Credit: Nicholas Skopal
The purpose of hundreds of giant stone jars scattered across Laos’s highlands has puzzled archaeologists for almost a century. Now, findings from a newly excavated jar suggest that at least some of them held the dead1.
Access options
In central Laos, the landscape is littered with enormous stone jars, some 3 metres high, and we may be closer to understanding…
In the middle of Laos, an ancient mystery bulges from the sweeping plains and intermittent forests of the Xiangkhoang Plateau.
Arheologii au excavat un "vas funerar" neobişnuit, în Laos, ce a fost folosit pentru a colecta rămăşiţele mai multor generaţii de…
‘Spectacular’ discovery at site of about 30 graves includes pearls, coins, ceramics and a box containing gold thread
Archaeologists uncover mass grave in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, sparking controversy and revealing hidden wartime atrocities.
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank…
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
Archaeologists Excavated a Giant Stone Jar And Found a Grim Surprise
Un vas funerar vechi de 1.200 de ani, descoperit în Laos
Lost beneath Sudan’s sands: Scientists discover 6,000-year-old massive monuments from a forgotten civilisation
Scientists dig up Southeast Asia's largest dinosaur in Thailand
Indiana Jones comes to life: 12 skeletons found in a hidden Petra tomb beneath the Treasury
‘Last titan’: Southeast Asia’s biggest dinosaur discovered
New evidence reveals a millennium-old dingo was ritually buried, and cared for, along the Darling (Baaka) River in Australia
Scientists dig up Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur in Thailand
Scientists dig up Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur
