A ‘jar’ jammed with human bones may solve Laos’ ‘Plain of Jars’ mystery

A ‘jar’ jammed with human bones may solve Laos’ ‘Plain of Jars’ mystery Skip to content Subscribe today Every print subscription comes with full digital access Subscribe Now By Tom Metcalfe 22 hours ago Share this: Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Archaeologists have discovered the remains of at least 37 people in a large stone “jar” in northern Laos. The oldest are thought to date from more than 1,000 years ago, and researchers think the jar —a stone vessel more than two meters across — was a “multigenerational” burial site for ancestor worship. The finding suggests that the thousands of stone “jars” throughout northern Laos had a similar purpose, researchers report May 18 in Antiquity . And it reinforces the idea that the mysterious “Plain of Jars” around the remote Lao town of Phonsavan was a vast ancient burial complex. The newfound jar is in a forest about 70 kilometers northeast of Phonsavan, on the Xieng Khouang Plateau — a region dotted with thousands of the stone jars. The most well-studied concentration is around Phonsavan itself, but several jars have been found much farther afield and the entire plateau is now considered the Plain of Jars. Mapping the ‘Plain of Jars’ Ancient stone jars have been found at sites (black dots) across a swath of Laos. The newfound giant jar holding the remains of at least 37 individuals is located at Jar site 75, about 70 kilometers northeast of the modern Lao town of Phonsavan. Its location is designated “Group 1;” the researchers found seven smaller jars at the “Group 2” location. Jar sites 1, 2 and 3 comprise the original “Plain of Jars” around Phonsavan, where more than 600 jars have been found. N. Skopal et al/Antiquity 2026 N. Skopal et al/Antiquity 2026 Before