Plain of Jars: Laos mystery

Was a bugger to get them, 15 years ago, now not so difficult.

 

They are believed to be funeral urns, would have had lids on made of either wood or cloth that didn't survive. Human ashes have been found in some of them. They also have some ornately carved stone grave markers on the ground and sometimes placed on top of jars by locals who mistook them for lids. Of old there was three sites, now the bombs have been cleared from three more sites, one even larger than the main site. Apparently there's many more.

 

The date quoted above may be a little old. The is another site Hindaeng even older, its the only menhir site in SE Asia (and was a triple bugger to get too). It's on the Ho Chi Mihn Trail and has a hundred standing stones. There aparently are other standing stone sites nearby. Amongst the stones are similar round grave markers to the plain of jars but uncarved and the site is 500 years older.

 

The theory is the same people who erected Hindaeng erected the Plain of Jars. Hindaeng was made before the iron age so the stones are uncarved, Plain of Jars after, so they could shape the stone. Both sites are located on the India trade route so may have connections with the India trade. Perhaps funeral earns of travellers who died on route? Though most likely locals.