Archive · 3 Aug 2026
Laos Stone Jar Holds 37 Ancient Human Remains
Scientists dug in a mountain area in Laos and found a big stone jar that was about four feet tall and seven feet wide.
Inside the jar were bones from 37 people who lived more than a thousand years ago.
The bones were not burned, which is unusual for jars found in the past.
The jar also had a knife, a bell, some stone pieces, pottery shards, and shiny glass beads.
Some researchers think the jar was a special burial place, while others are not sure if it was only for burying people.
Archaeologists uncovered a four‑foot high, seven‑foot wide stone jar containing the remains of 37 people in Laos’s Xieng Khouang Plateau.
The jar, dated to 890‑1160 AD, is the first non‑burnt human burial jar found in the region.
Alongside the bones, researchers recovered an iron knife, copper bell, stone slabs, earthenware shards, and glass beads.
Lead author Nicholas Skopal proposes the bones were first placed in smaller jars, then bundled into the large jar after decomposition.
Some scholars, including Kelly Brandão, question whether the jar was intended solely as a burial site.
- Who
- Archaeologists led by Nicholas Skopal
- What
- Discovery of a stone jar containing remains of 37 people
- When
- Excavated 2022‑2024; jar dated 890‑1160 AD
- Where
- Xieng Khouang Plateau, Northern Laos
- Why
- Likely funerary process, but purpose uncertain
- Location
- Xieng Khouang Plateau, Northern Laos
- Discovery period
- 2022‑2024
- Number of remains
- 37
- Jar dimensions
- 4 ft high, 7 ft wide
- Dating range
- 890‑1160 AD
- Artifacts found
- iron knife, copper bell, stone slabs, earthenware shards, glass beads