The Plain of Jars, in Xieng Khouang Province in northern Laos, is one of the most perplexing archeological sites in the world, on a par with Macchu Picchu of Peru, & the Maois (stone giants) of Easter Island. Here, in this forgotten corner of Asia, on a highland plateau 1000 meters above sea level, are hundreds of giant stone jars, in scattered groups, that were created & left behind by a civilization that has now disappeared. According to UNESCO archaeologist Richard Engelhardt, the Plain of Jars is "probably the most important Iron Age site in Southeast Asia."

Because the Plain of Jars is still isolated from established tourist routes, the visitor numbers are still low, the hotels few, & the level of accommodation quite basic. In addition, the presence of UXO (land mines & unexploded bombs) left behind from the Vietnam War some 30 years ago, that continue to kill & injure the rural inhabitants of northern Laos, has effectively curtailed the tide of international tourists. But not for long. The Laotian government, in cooperation with UNESCO, is working to clear the UXO off the plains so that visitors can explore & appreciate the jar sites without fear of landmines.

Who exactly made the stone jars, why, & when, is still a mystery. The jars are scattered in various groups over the plains, seemingly without any predetermined arrangement. So far, researchers have been able to determine that iron implements were used to carve the jars from non-indigenous limestone, therefore, they must have been transported to the plains from elsewhere. There are other clues. Human bone fragments were found in or under some jars, & beads, bronze figurines, & other treasure were found near & around the jars. This supports the most popular theory that the jars were created by a civilization that flourished between 300 BC & AD 300, and that the jars were likely funerary monuments or urns. UNESCO researchers believe that the huge jars were used to store the bodies of the dead until the remains had decomposed, then the bodies were removed, cleaned, then buried or cremated. Other theories postulate that the jars were used to store wine or rice.

Adding to the mystery is the fact that many battles have ravaged these plains over the centuries, the most devastating being the secret battles & air raids during the Vietnam War when hundreds of thousands of bombs rained down upon these very plains, destroying towns & villages, while running battles were fought & lost among the jars. American bombers also jettisoned tons of unused bombs over the plains as they returned from raids on Vietnam. Yet, despite all this surrounding devastation, why were the jars were relatively untouched?

So the jars remain largely unexplained, & archaeologists know little about the people who made them. The presence of UXO has made research slow & sometimes impossible, so it may be quite some time before anyone can draw out the real secrets of the jars.

There are many good web sources of information & photos. Here are some of them.

http://www.asiaexplorers.com/laos/plain_of_jars.htm

http://www.asiaexplorers.com/laos/thong_hai_hin.htm

http://www.molon.de/galleries/Laos/XiengKhouang/

http://www.threeland.com/Xiengkhoang_plain_jar.htm

http://www.culturalprofiles.net/laos/Units/172.html