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4h ago

First Undisturbed In-Jar Burials Found on Laos Plain of Jars Confirm Funerary Role

Radiocarbon dates plus imported beads indicate repeated use from 890 to 1160 A.D.

aerial view of a partly excavated stone jar filled with human skeletal remains
Skulls and other bones are visible within a circle of massive stone at a site in Laos that is being excavated. You can see a researcher and some excavation tools around the wooded site.
Glass beads discovered inside the giant "death jar" in Laos.

Overview

  • Researchers reported Monday that a giant stone jar at Site 75 on the Plain of Jars held the remains of at least 37 people.
  • Teeth dated by radiocarbon show multiple deposition events over centuries, with use spanning roughly 890 to 1160 A.D.
  • Selective placement of bones, with skulls set along the rim and limb bones grouped, points to a secondary burial rite after bodies decomposed elsewhere.
  • Multicolored glass beads inside the vessel, many made in India, signal long-distance trade links woven into the mortuary ritual.
  • The find is the first confirmed case of undisturbed human remains inside a large jar at the site, and the team plans ancient DNA testing as they caution that broader excavations are needed to judge how common this practice was.