‘Plain of Jars’, one of the most mysterious archaeological sites, reveals its true age

via Live Science, 28 April 2021: A few more news stories on the recent paper in PLoS One about the date of the Plain of Jars.

The mysterious Plain of Jars in northern Laos — a landscape dotted with massive stone jars hewn from sandstone thousands of years ago — was likely used as a burial site for much longer than previously suspected, and perhaps for up to 2,000 years, according to new research.

The massive jars, which were likely used to expose the dead to the elements until only their bones were left to be buried, could be more than 3,000 years old, new tests suggest.

But the research also suggests that most of the human remains buried in the ground beside the ancient jars were interred there between 700 and 1,200 years ago.

“What we surmise from that is the enduring ritual significance of these sites,” University of Melbourne archaeologist Louise Shewan told Live Science. “They were important for a very long time.”

Source: ‘Plain of Jars’, one of the most mysterious archaeological sites, reveals its true age | Live Science

See also:

• Laos’ mysterious Plain of Jars which features thousands of stone jars littered across the burial ground may be more than 3,000 years old, new analysis reveals | Daily Mail, 28 April 2021
• Archaeologists finally uncovered some of the mystery behind Laos’s Plain of Jars | Popular Science, 28 April 2021
• Archaeologists Unearth New Clues To Ancient “Jars Of The Dead” Mystery | IFL Science, 01 May 2021