The Shadow
Thousands of huge stone jars have been discovered scattered over the landscape in the Eastern Asia country of Laos.
Archaeological sites have been established in the area that extends over rice paddies, forests and hills. The area has become known as Plain of Jars where the stone jars have been dated at 2,500 years old.
For what purpose were the giant stone jars used? How were the stone jars made?
Those are two questions scientists have yet to determine.
Located in the Xieng Khouang Province, some have speculated that giants may have lived there and created the gigantic stone jars.
The jars vary in height and weight. They range in height between three and nine feet.
At nearly the height of a basketball goal, a stone jar named the King Jar that weighs 21,363 pounds must have been a challenge to carve out of solid sandstone.
Located on Level 1 of The Plain of Jars, it weighs over 10 tons, creating the mystery concerning the way it was moved to the spot where it is located. No sandstone is located in the area where it is located.
The stone jars are located in clusters on the Xiangkhoang Plateau. Some clusters include several hundred.
It is believed that the 500-square-mile area known as the Plain of Jars served as a burial area and that the megalithic jars are products of the Iron Age.
The area played an important role during the Vietnam War, providing a strategic visual site for U.S. pilots who were on bombing missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
