For a long time, Laos’s giant jars have baffled science. A “death jar” has solved the mystery

An archaeological study in Laos sheds new light on the Plain of Jars, suggesting the giant stone vessels were reused for secondary burials over time.

Researchers analyzed a large jar containing remains of at least 37 people and found evidence of repeated funerary use.

The human deposits date to roughly the 9th to 13th centuries, while the jars themselves are much older.

The findings help explain the purpose of the mysterious megalithic site and show later communities reused the landscape for complex burial rituals.