Archaeologists Solve the Mystery Behind Giant Landscape of Strange Jars With Open Mouths Scattered in Laos
Archaeology has provided the world with several spellbinding revelations. A big aspect of archaeology is being able to properly investigate the acquired objects. However, in some cases, real-life situations do not allow for the analysis to facilitate. This is the story of certain artifacts located in Laos, stated Science Alert. In 2021, researchers published some interesting insights regarding these items in PLOS One.
The artifact in question was the 'Plain of Jars.' The 'Plain of Jars' encompasses thousands of relics carved from ancient stones. These relics are shaped like hollowed jars. Some of them have a lid-like feature, however, most of them are open to the sky. Their arrangement also varies; some stand alone, while others are in clusters. The purpose of these megaliths remains a topic of debate. Some researchers claim that the jars were used to bury individuals in prehistoric times. Local folklore, on the other hand, claims that these jars were used as storehouses for things like rainwater, food, and alcohol.
In the 1960s, the US Air Force dropped millions of bombs in the area where the Plain of Jars stands. Many of them are still unexploded, and every year, they take the lives of hundreds of individuals. The danger posed by the area has been a challenge for experts who want to explore these megaliths and find important information associated with them. "Until now, it has not been possible to estimate when the jars were first placed on the landscape or from where the stone was sourced," the study shared.
Over the years, several safe spaces have been categorized in the area. This has allowed experts to investigate some jars in this collection. Experts used a technique called Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) on the megaliths and determined that they were possibly constructed as early as the late second millennium B.C.E. Investigation also uncovered evidence that indicated the practice of human burial at the site. Researchers found bundled or jarred collections of bones near the jars. Radiocarbon dating suggested that the collection was possibly brought into the area between the 9th and 13th centuries C.E.
If burial activities took place between the 9th and 13th centuries C.E., then the 'Plain of Jars' becomes the earliest known instance of mortuary practices ever uncovered by archaeologists worldwide. The dating also challenges past assertions that mortuary rituals started with the placement of megaliths. "The data presented here strongly suggests that the placement of the megaliths preceded the mortuary activity around the jars, indicating re-use of the sites and enduring ritual significance," the researchers wrote. Experts are hopeful that extensive examination in the future will help them understand the trajectory of human activity in the place.
The analysis also unveiled that the quarry where these structures were made was possibly eight kilometers (5 miles) away from where these megaliths were eventually placed. If the finding turns out to be true, then the culture that built them had at their disposal impressive methods that allowed them to transfer objects weighing around 30 tonnes on average, across long distances.