37 Skeletons Found in Laos Stone Jar Rewrites Burial History

On the Plain of Jars in Laos, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of at least 37 individuals within a single stone jar, marking the first definitive proof of a connection between these megalithic jars and burial customs. The jar, which stands over six feet tall and four feet wide, housed right femurs and skulls from 19 individuals, along with teeth from 37, including both children and adults. Radiocarbon dating places these remains between the 9th and 12th centuries C.E., indicating a medieval culture rather than the previously thought Iron Age. Led by Nicholas Skopal from James Cook University, the study published in Antiquity also revealed tools, earthenware, a copper-based bell, and glass beads linked to long-distance trade with India and Mesopotamia. This finding contradicts earlier theories suggesting the jars served as urns from 500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E. and supports the idea of a multi-generational burial practice. Future DNA testing is planned to explore the relationships among the deceased. The Plain of Jars has intrigued researchers since Western expeditions in the 1930s, but decades of unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War have complicated research efforts until recent clearance initiatives.