All Jar Sites are located on hills. Situated in the remote north east of Laos, the mountainous communist country which has only been open to tourists for just over a decade, are hundreds of huge stone jars scattered across several square miles. Phonsavan is the Laotian government’s attempt to create a new capital after the old French colonial one of Xieng Khuang was abandoned, having been totally destroyed in the war – in 1997 however Phonsavan itself was only partly formed and had an impermanent “wild west” atmosphere. Even though it is called a "Plain of Jars" there isn't really one single plain or area where one can find all the jars in there. I wonder if the presence of the unexploded ordnances is the reason why this site is still sitting on the tentative list after so many years. A university team from Australia came along and did so resulting in today's results with research continuing at some of the 52 sites that are mostly inaccessible for tourists, and those that are only be trekking on foot. Ciekawe czy kiedyś znajdą się potwierdzenia na teorie tej badaczki. But there is no way to be really sure. Nie słyszałam wcześniej o tym miejscu. This prehistoric people belonged to the mon-khmer language group, but until now we don’t know more about this culture. Whilst there are many theories as to the origins and purpose of the jars, no one knows for sure. Just why were these enormous stone jars carved and scattered across this remote plateau in Northern Laos? You can either join a tour, get a driver or rent a scooter yourself. My friends and I arranged for a minibus and a driver from the guesthouse we stayed at to take us around the area. Apparently some king won a war and to celebrate he ordered the jars created to make and store wine. Site 1, 2 and 3 are the main sites to visit. In 1930, French archaeologist Madeleine Colan conducted research around the Plain of Jars and discovered bones, teeth, pottery shards, and beads. The area is apparently the most heavily bombed one in history. Here archaeologists stop to agree anymore… Madeleine Colani – French archaeologist who first explored this place claims that they were most likely urns for human remains. The nearest town was Phonsovan, an enjoyable ride of 230kms. Pozdrawiam! A really interesting read. I joined a tour from my guest house for 20€. No one can really be sure why these jars were created. Plain of Jars: Theories Several theories can be cited when attempting to explain the perplexing history of the Plain of Jars in Phonsavan. The jars are arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to several hundred. You may want to consider if this is worth it to you. The Jars are weird (who would create Jars? However, I had expected a more stellar site than what I actually found. Here archaeologists stop to agree anymore… Madeleine Colani – French archaeologist who first explored this place claims that they were most likely urns for human remains. Mike (Las Vegas, USA), Pingback: North vs South Thailand - where to go? It consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau. The hills are embedded in the Xiangkhoang Plateau where agriculture takes place. As a confirmations Coloni found pieces of bones and bronze and iron vessels inside of them. Don't attempt to do this on your own as the whole landscape is littered with unexploded ordinances. I hope I succeded. After having read about the Plain of Jars and seen pictures of them, I made sure that I went to see them, even if I had to brave 12 hours of an uncomfortable bus ride from Vientiane. Even today, there are still plenty of unexploded ordnances waiting to be discovered. A huge archaeological complex littered with stone jars sized from 70cm up to 3 or 4 metres, the true origin of the jars remains a mystery. During the Indochinese war, American planes unloaded tons and tons of bombs on the area. This would certainly bring massive changes! Loves the idea of slow life and responsible traveling, constantly trying to improve to bee more eco-friendly. A big problem with the protection of the site is damage. Planuję wybrać się do Laosu, ale ciężko powiedzieć, czy tajemnicza równica dzbanów znajdzie się na mojej liście. Roughly situated in the in the northern mountainous parts of Laos, Phonsavan is home to a series of mysterious stone-like Plain of Jars. Jar Site 1 is the closest to Phonsavan and the biggest of the three. And that's how I went. Finally, MAG are doing a good job at clearing the areas of unexploded UXOs, with the 3 sites now perfectly save for visiting. Their king Khun Cheung defeated his enemies and ordered the great stone vessels in which they brewed rice wine (lao lao) to celebrate the triumph. this is a video about the Plain of Jars and the Dropa stones which both ancient thing and have a lot of mysteries surrounding them. So, I would recommend getting a driver/join a tour. They're clustered in 90 groups composed of as few as one to more than 400 jars. The most popular theory is that the jars were used in burial rituals. Jestem pewna, ze wkrotce to sie zmieni. This site is definitely an important relic of a lost culture in South East Asia which in my opinion must be protected as a world heritage site. Laos is a poor country, and land clearance of bombs and protecting the archaeological sites is an expensive undertaking. Basically ICOMOS told them to do research into the jars and they have no chance of getting inscribed for just a bunch of stone structures. My recommendation would be to fly in on Monday/Wednesday and return on Wednesday/Friday. Szkoda, ze nie przekonalam cie tym artykulem, ze warto tam sie wybrac. Experts theorised that they were made to store ashes of deceased people or food. Can you imagine that? Their purpose appears probably to have been as funerary urns – though so little is known about the peoples who carved them that alternative views abound –see the subsequent review! Póki co zwiedzamy Polskę i nasze skarby narodowe. Known as the Plain of Jars, these sites were first reported on by Western archeologists in 1935. I love your article, very informative. Most of them were sculpted from sandstone rock. You can see in video some more informationa bout the place and that current theories deny what Colani stated. We visited in 1997 – flying from Luang Prabang into the ramshackle provincial capital of Phonsavan. Indeed, from photos of I have seen of the sites today, it would appear likely that Hmong and others have “moved in” with their souvenir stalls! The location of the jars, largely scattered in open locations on the rolling “plain”, adds to their mystery – they do not appear to be part of any contemporaneous ensembles. If you are just interested to see the jars in maybe half a day you can hire a private tour for $50+ and decide how many of the 3 sites you want to see. Interestingly, the urns discovered in the mountain area did not have any burials, which may mean that those were the work of people unrelated to the creators of objects… UFO? The most dense location holds 400 jars plus associated stone objects such as lids and discs. Kiedyś naczytałam się takich historii i dalej mnie fascynują, oczywiście tak z przymrużeniem oka. It took us 8.5h for the 250km, including a 30min lunch break and a 1h break caused by the road being fully closed for ongoing construction. It can only take place with the help of foreign sponsors and services. Areas where they appear she connects with path of the caravan trail from northern India to the valley of Mekong river. These jars don't have lids and although there was one placed on a jar rather unfittingly, the “lids” are most likely grave markers for less prominent uses, perhaps poorer dead. The Plain of Jars is a mysterious ancient site that has hidden its secrets with time, but also bears the scars of a more recent ‘secret.’ Shrouded in mystery and myth, this bizarre collection of ancient megalithic stone jars is scattered in the hundreds across a war-scarred countryside in northern Laos's Xieng Khuang province. Located deep within the mountain ranges of northern Laos, the Plain of Jars is a sight to behold for tourists who want to get a glimpse of a long-forgotten civilization. It is believed that the bodies wer… The jars held whiskey for a giant who lived in the mountains. Teoria dotycząca kosmitów przemawia do mnie najbardziej! They remained all but secret to the Western World until 1932 when a French geologist and archaeologist Madelaine Colani surveyed the area for École Française d’Extrême-Orient, a French institute dedicated to the study of Asian civilizations. Turysci zagraniczni bardziej szanuja to miejsce, jednak miejscowi maja dostep nieograniczony i nie traktuja dzbanow jako cos cennego. It would seem that it is a matter of “when” not “if” the site will become a WHS – “In 1998 UNESCO and the Government of Lao PDR initiated a multi-year project to safeguard the archaeological resources of the Plain of Jars. The sites include 1,325 ancient sandstone jars, crafted by a civilization that lived in the area from 500 BCE on. Travelling in the area can be dangerous (and therefore visitors MUST AT ALL TIMES follow the directions on the paths) but the authorities have cleared three sites for tourism. My personal idea is that they might just store water in the jars for the dryer season, with wooden kids now gone. Problem was that we had some French joining the tour and they are the worst when it comes to time management and moving ahead. Sometimes way to another archaeological site goes through the fields. Our guide told that a foreign archeologist was working at the sites now, to piece together more about the history of the jars, who made them and why. I will concentrate my the on the sites and not the tour, although I may want to mention that visiting the bombed old capital and the stupa are not worth the time and money. This should be strongly discouraged by guides as the signs don't seem to mean anything, and our guide didn't seem to mind any of it either. As a consequence, there is little to do than the Plain of Jars excursions. This is because of “agent orange” chemical weapons used by the US to get rid of the forests and better see the enemy from the planes… As a result, 3 million hectares have been degraded and more than one million people are suffering today! No one really knows what … Mamy wiele skarbow do zobaczenia i docenienia. From lips carved on some jars, it appears that the jars were originally covered by lids – though the flat circular stones at the sites are not thought to have been these lids but rather pit grave markers. Some researchers have theorized that the jars may have once served as funerals urns or food storage. Archaeologists believe that the Jars date back to 500BC, the Iron Age. Having traveled by bus from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan (which is the shortest available option), I must strongly advise going for the plane option if available and affordable. There are plenty of Jar Sites spread across the plateau. We went first to site number 3, and that is also the one I liked best due to its fine, idyllic location. Coraz częściej zdaję sobie sprawę, jak wiele osób podróżuje bezmyślnie i nie zwraca uwagi, że śmieci, czy niszczy niezwykłe miejsca, nie wspominając już o braku tolerancji względem kultur, czy innego zachowania. When I had my accident, way back in January, I was heading out to visit the Plain of Jars. Plain of Jars theories – what were the jars for? During archaeological research in the 1930’s glass beads as well as burnt bones an… Or you cover all damages, disregarding who is at fault. The question is, what kind of people needed such a large urn? Coś niesamowitego. 15 locations, The site has AAaaaannnyway, the plain of jars is the most bombed part of a country destroyed by bombs, so you have to accept expect bombs to be mentioned, you cant really avoid the topic in any way. Plain of Jars theories – what were the jars for? [Update July 2019] Without a doubt the site has OUV and was due to be inscribed. I took a trip to Laos in December 2006 with some friends to sort of escape Christmas at home. Once you get to the first site you have a small museum about the history of the jars, theories more or less, but more than they had years ago when first trying to inscribe the place. Site 1 is the nearest to town and definitely the most heavily visited. The Plain Of Jars History and Theories The Jars have been dated back to the Iron Age, so that makes them somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 years old. They have been dated as belonging to the area’s late Iron Age at around 500Bc to 500CE. As for Site 1, you then either walk or take a small golf cart to the range, which are in fact hills or jars. Besides the jars, visitors are also treated to spectacular sceneries of the Laotian countryside. we were cautioned to stick to marked paths. It is believed that the jars were used to place the corpses of deceased people where they were left to decompose or ‘distill’, a practice that has been common in Thailand and Laos, usually in pits. Plenty of Laotian drivers don't have a driver license. However, due to the fact that some urns were undoubtedly made of granite, scientists reject this theory…. Thought to be containers in which the people there buried their dead, the Plain of Jars dates to from 500 C.E. Imagine what archaeological zones look like: all marked with lines: checked here, not there. The whole region surrounding Phonsavan is … to get inside (photo – no doubt “forbidden” now!!). The favourite local joke is that they were for making lao-lao rice whiskey. bezmyślność!). I think im right in saying Laos is the most bombed courty on earth. I always love to travel, found the article very informative. The bigger ones are there as well. They will not apply for WH status until more scientific evidence is found to sustain the theory that the sites are cemeteries. From Luang Prabang, I flew (via an overnight in Vientiane) to Xieng Khouang Airport, the air gateway to the Plain of Jars, where I stayed at the Vansana Plain of Jars Hotel in Phonsavan (www.vansana-plain-of-jars-hotel.com). There are apparently many more of such sites in the region but they are closed off to visitors because they are not declared safe yet. Finally, the road conditions are pretty terrible. From Luang Prabang, you have the option to go by minibus or normal bus. The prevailing theory is that it was used for a secondary burial process. Samo miejsce wygląda na bardzo ciekawe , Strasznie ciekawa sprawa! A corpse would be taken to a jar site and placed in the stone jar. To była bardzo uświadamiająca lekcja, zresztą jak każda podróż w nieznane. Every day there is a screening for free to make people aware of how great crimes were done by Unites States here. For this to happen, the infrastructure needs to improve significantly. The Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang (better known as the Plain of Jars) are a testimony to Iron Age funerary practices. The Megalithic sites of Xieng Khouang province, better known as the Plain of Jars, are so numerous and shaped unlike anything that you will see elsewhere in the world. In any case, the jars at this site were not that significant. Plain of Jar Theories The story behind the stone jars still remains a mystery today. Frightening. Many Prehistoric sites attract the description “Enigmatic” – meaning that the exact purpose of the objects on view is unclear - and those of the “Plain of Jars” certainly justify the epithet! Miło poczytać o odkrywaniu historii przez Ciebie. 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