Where is the Plain of Jars located?
Where is the Plain of Jars located?
central Laos
The Plain of Jars, located on a plateau in central Laos, gets its name from more than 2,100 tubular-shaped megalithic stone jars used for funerary practices in the Iron Age.
Is Plain of Jars worth visiting?
What is this? Only a small portion of the Plain of Jars and the region can be safely visited because of the 80 million undetonated bombs that are just chillin’ randomly here and there. You can see some of the jars that have been damaged or completely destroyed as bombs have detonated.
Who built plain jars of Laos?
Cheung
It is said that Cheung, after fighting a long and victorious battle, created the jars in order to brew huge amounts of celebratory lao lao rice wine. The Plain of Jars received relatively little Western attention until the 1930s, when French archaeologist Madeleine Colani began surveying the area.
When was the Plain of Jars discovered?
Known as the Plain of Jars, these sites were first reported on by Western archeologists in 1935. It wasn’t until the 1990s that researchers were able to begin systematically exploring the massive region, partially due to the high volume of unexploded bombs left over from US Air Force offensives during the Vietnam War.
How do you find a plain jar?
The small town of Phonsavan is the capital of Xieng Khouang province and is the usual base for visiting the Plain of Jars. By Bus: Daily buses run between Phonsavan and Vang Vieng (eight hours), Luang Prabang (eight hours), and Vientiane (eleven hours).
How do you get to plain of Laos jars?
Who discovered the Plain of Jars?
Madeleine Colani
Archaeologists are certain the Plain of Jars is one of Southeast Asia’s most important archaeological sites—but it is one with more questions than answers. French archaeologist Madeleine Colani pioneered research in Xieng Khouang in the 1930s.
Why is the Plain of Jars important?
In 1969 the Plain of Jars was a major battlefield between the North Vietnamese and Royal Lao government and was subjected to heavy bombing by the United States. It is now the site of a major Laotian military airfield.
Is Laos part of Thailand?
For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century, when it became part of French Indochina.
Where are the jar sites in the plain?
As our guide was quick to point out, the Jar Sites are not actually in the plain. All Jar Sites are located on hills. The hills are embedded in the Xiangkhoang Plateau where agriculture takes place. There are plenty of Jar Sites spread across the plateau.
How many jars are in plain of Jars?
The sites include 1,325 ancient sandstone jars, crafted by a civilization that lived in the area from 500 BCE on. The most dense location holds 400 jars plus associated stone objects such as lids and discs.
Where are the plain of Jars in Indochina?
The jars are arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to several hundred. The Xiangkhoang Plateau is at the northern end of the Annamese Cordillera, the principal mountain range of Indochina. French researcher Madeleine Colani concluded in 1930 that the jars were associated with burial practices.
Why was the plain of Jars bombed by the US?
This led the locals to believe the cave at Site 1 was actually a kiln, and that the jars were fired there and are not actually hewn from stone. Between May 1964 and the summer of 1969, the Plain of Jars was heavily bombed by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) (see Secret War) operating against North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao communist forces.