Secrets of giant ancient jar in Laos unpacked at last

Hundreds of large stone jars scattered across the highlands of Laos have puzzled archaeologists for nearly a century. Newly excavated evidence from one jar suggests that at least some of these jars were used for funerary purposes. The findings indicate the jars held the dead, providing a clearer explanation for their original function. This interpretation connects the jar sites to burial practices rather than other proposed uses. The new results help narrow the long-standing uncertainty about why the jars were built and placed across the landscape.

"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 dead."

Read at Nature