Laos' Plain of Jars Reveals Ancient Communal Burials
Archaeologists studying thousands of stone jars on Laos’ Plain of Jars found they served as multigenerational ossuaries, housing the bones of many people in an orderly, communal tomb and indicating a secondary-burial tradition. The discovery shifts the jars from myth to a sophisticated mortuary system connected to ancient trade networks, while leaving open questions about the people who created and used them.