Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved

In a remarkable discovery, the remains of at least 37 individuals have been unearthed within a giant stone jar in Laos, providing new insights into the enigmatic ancient landscape of South-East Asia.

On the remote Xieng Khouang plateau in central Laos, thousands of massive stone jars, some reaching 3 meters in height and weighing several tonnes, are scattered across the landscape. Known as The Plain of Jars, this site has long been shrouded in mystery regarding its creators and their purpose.

Nick Skopal from James Cook University in Australia mentions, “There are numerous old legends suggesting these jars were crafted for giants to brew rice wine.”

Research conducted in the 1930s proposed that these jars were linked to the South-East Asian Iron Age, dating from approximately 500 BC to AD 500, and were possibly used for cremation or decomposition of bodies. More recent examinations have uncovered glass beads, jewelry, and a few cremated remains, along with burials near the jars, but not inside them.

Skopal and his team have now found densely packed human remains in a jar near the Laotian town of Phonsavan, measuring 1.3 meters high and over 2 meters wide. This jar contained the right femurs and skulls of 19 individuals, yet teeth from 37 people were present.

Radiocarbon dating indicates that these remains were deposited over multiple phases spanning up to 270 years, between the 9th and 12th centuries AD.

The remains were tightly packed, possibly after an initial decomposition phase elsewhere, with longer bones arranged towards the edges and many smaller, more delicate bones missing.

Nigel Chang, also from James Cook University, but not involved in the research, states, “This is an extremely significant finding. After nearly a century of speculation, this is the first stone jar to be studied with undeniable links to funerary practices.”

Situated about 500 meters from the main jar was a cluster of smaller stone jars, some containing glass beads. Skopal hypothesizes that bodies were initially placed in these smaller jars until the flesh decayed, after which the bones were transferred to the larger jar.

“Could the stone jars have played a role in preparing souls for the afterlife as part of ancestor worship?” Skopal ponders. “We are conducting DNA tests on these remains to better understand the identity and relationships of these individuals.”

While the dating reveals the usage period of this stone jar, it does not indicate its creation date.

Chang reflects, “There seems to have been considerable activity around the jar sites in the latter half of the first millennium AD. However, I believe the jars themselves might be much older—possibly over 2000 years old.”

Skopal mentions that direct dating of the jars is not possible, but the dating of artifacts found outside the jar aligns with those inside, suggesting the jar was placed when the first bodies were interred. “This implies a medieval cultural context, rather than an Iron Age origin,” he notes.

Skopal believes the jars were part of ancestral burial rituals that spanned many generations. He notes significant variation in the stone jars across Laos, suggesting different uses within a broader tradition. Some locations feature upright jars, many of which are empty—possibly due to looting—while others have jars with shallow or narrow internal spaces lying flat, indicating diverse rituals across regions or time periods.

Tiatoshi Jamir from Nagaland University in India comments, “It is quite probable that various cultural groups utilized the jars, or a single cultural group used the same jar for burial purposes over extended periods.”

Inside the jar, Skopal’s team also uncovered iron tools, earthenware, a copper-based bell, and glass beads. Chemical analysis revealed the beads originated in South India and Mesopotamia, indicating long-distance trade and travel.

Skopal notes this is not surprising, given that around AD 1000, East and South-East Asia were experiencing a period of prosperity, which included the Song Dynasty and Dali Kingdom in China, Cambodia’s Khmer Empire, and the Pagan kingdom in present-day Myanmar.

Marco Mitri from North Eastern Hill University in India, who has studied similar stone jars in north-east India over 1000 kilometers away, suggests that archaeology is uncovering a widespread cultural tradition. He proposes that a large Austroasiatic population engaged in these burial rites for centuries, with similar practices still observed in India today by the Khasi, an Austroasiatic group that places bones in stone boxes known as cists after cremation.

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