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! Just why were these enormous stone jars carved and scattered across this remote plateau in Northern Laos?

We visited in 1997 – flying from Luang Prabang into the ramshackle provincial capital of Phonsavan. This itself was an experience as one looked down onto a countryside pockmarked, as far as the eye could see, with bomb craters. This area was the subject of a saturation bombing campaign by the US in 1969 (the area was strategically significant to Vietnam to protect Hanoi’s rear flank and its many caves provided shelter, both for the Vietnamese/Pathet Lao troops, and supplies). 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.

I understand that much multinational work has been carried out since 1997 on removing the vast amount of UXO (“Unexploded ordnance”) left over by the war. This had commenced when we were there but only 3 areas of Jars were “open” – and even there

we were cautioned to stick to marked paths. Wiki indicates that the number of cleared areas has risen to 7 in 2010 and also there are opportunites in Phonsavan to visit the organizations involved in helping both the task and the many maimed locals.

The roads outside Phonsavan made its rutted town streets look almost good and our taxi trip to the 3 Jar sites took a whole afternoon – even though the furthest was only around 30kms away! It was interesting to note how old bomb cases etc had been incorporated into the structure of the houses we passed.

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. They are carved from single pieces of rock, mostly weigh around 600kg to 1 tonne and are large enough for a “big Westerner” (carefully!) to get inside (photo – no doubt “forbidden” now!!). 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. They have been dated as belonging to the area’s late Iron Age at around 500Bc to 500CE. 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! The stone from which they were made was quarried some way west of Phonsavan.

We were the only visitors that afternoon, entry was free and there were no tourist facilities. I understand that there are now small charges at each location and that site 1 has 2 pavilions and rest rooms “built for the visit of Thailand’s crown prince”!! We enjoyed the visit and it would be a shame to miss it whilst in Laos – indeed we perhaps rushed it too much and should have spent more time with the local tribespeople. 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!

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 UNESCO-LAO Project to Safeguard the Plain of Jars is intended to remove the danger of unexploded ordnance, help to rehabilitate the plateau's agricultural land and identify priority areas for protection for archaeological research and tourism development.”. See www.unescobkk.org/culture/world-heritage-and-immovable-heritage/the-plain-of-jars-important-but-imperiled/