The largest jug in the world. Mysterious Valley of Jugs, Laos. Photo of the Valley of Jars in Laos

The Valley of Jugs is a group of unique sites that contain unusual historical and archaeological monuments - huge stone jugs. These are located mysterious objects in Xiang Khouang Province, Laos. Thousands of gigantic stone vessels are scattered among the dense tropical flora. The size of the jugs ranges from 0.5 to 3 meters, and the weight of the largest reaches 6 thousand kg. Most giant stone pots are cylindrical in shape, but oval and rectangular jars are also found. Round disks were found next to the unusual vessels, which were presumably used as lids for them. These pots were made from granite, sandstone, rock and calcined coral. Scientists suggest that the age of the stone bowls is 1500 – 2000 years.


The territory of the valley includes more than 60 sites on which groups of gigantic vessels are located. All the sites are stretched along one line, which may be evidence that there used to be an ancient trade route here, which was served by sites with jugs. The largest number of jars is concentrated in the city of Phonsavan; this place is called the “First Site”, on which there are about 250 vessels of various sizes.

Phonsavan city:

Exists great amount theories and assumptions regarding who and for what purposes such unique vessels were created. According to scientists, these jugs were used by the ancient people living in southeast Asia, whose culture and customs still remain unknown. Historians and anthropologists suggest that the huge jars could have been funerary urns and were used in funeral rituals. There is a version that food was stored in them, another version says that rainwater was collected in the vessels, which was used by trade caravans. Laotian legends say that these gigantic jugs were used as ordinary utensils by the giants who lived here in ancient times. Well, the version local residents says that rice wine was made and stored in megalithic jars. No matter how many versions and theories are put forward, the Valley of the Jugs undoubtedly remains an unsolved mystery.

Currently, active negotiations are underway to include the famous Valley of Jugs in the list World Heritage UNESCO. The main reason why it has not yet been given this status is the consequences of the heavy air force bombing that the valley area was subjected to. And clearing the area of ​​shells is an important condition for the possibility of research and development of tourism in a given area. On this moment there are a large number of shells ready to detonate at any moment, therefore, most of the valley is inaccessible to visitors. The Laotian authorities are putting all their efforts into clearing the Valley of Jars of shells and ensuring safe movement across the territory. In this they are helped by various non-governmental organizations that are fascinated by the beauty of ancient monuments and are ready to fight to ensure that these valuable historical sites are open to people.
Today, only a limited number of sites with jugs are open to the public, so it is very difficult to fully explore the valleys. Now only three sites are available to tourists, which are completely cleared of shells.

"Site 2", where 90 jugs are located, 25 km south of Phonsavan:

The Valley of Jars is an unsolved landmark of Laos. Thousands of giant megalithic vessels are scattered across mountain valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang plateau in the main mountain range of Indochina. The shape of the vessels is more like jugs, hence the name. Their sizes are amazing - up to 3 meters in height, and up to 6 tons in weight.

Where is the Valley of Jars?

The valley is located in Xieng Khouang province in the northern part of the country near the city of Phonsavan.

Geographic coordinates 19.431047, 103.152298


general description

The valley has several isolated areas with vessels. There are more than 90 such sites in total. They have their own numbers. And on each of them there are from one to 392 stone jugs. Their height varies from 1 to 3 meters. All of them are carved from stone.


Jugs have a cylindrical shape, and the lower part is always wider than the upper. The vessels do not have bas-reliefs or drawings, except for one jug on the main platform, number 1. The silhouette of a man with raised hands and bent knees is engraved on the outside of it.

By the way, similar images are found in rock paintings in the Guangxi Mountains (China) and date back to the 5th-2nd centuries BC.

Research, theories and legends of giant jars

According to scientists, the age of the jugs is approximately 1500 to 2500 years.

Since many jugs have a certain seat, it is believed that they were originally covered with lids. Several flat stone caps have been found in the surrounding area. But it is assumed that the lids themselves were made of a material more susceptible to destruction than the jugs. Therefore, there are much fewer lids than vessels. The lids found contained bas-reliefs with images of tigers, frogs and monkeys.


 One of the few surviving lids

Also found were stone disks that differ from the lids. Perhaps they were markers of burial sites.

It is worth noting that five types were found in the surrounding area rocks: sandstone, granite, conglomerate, limestone and breccia. Most jugs are made of sandstone. It is believed that ancient craftsmen used iron chisels to make these vessels, but there is no conclusive evidence for this.


Archaeologists offer us several hypotheses about the origin of the jugs.

Jugs as a burial place

According to one version, the vessels are a kind of urns for burial or cremation.

In 1930, French researcher Madeleine Colani suggested that the jars were related to prehistoric burial methods. Perhaps the cremation of bodies took place in them, followed by burial of the remains in a separate place.

In particular, she found a cave in the area of ​​site No. 1, which has a limestone formation. In its northwestern part there is a natural hole, and at the top there are two artificial ones. Colani considered these openings to be chimneys for the crematorium. She also found materials in the cave to support the cremation theory. Colored glass beads, burnt teeth and bone fragments were found in some of the jars. Human bones, fragments of pottery, iron and bronze objects and remains of charcoal were also found in the area. Bones and teeth inside the vessels indirectly prove cremation.


Research by Laotian and Japanese archaeologists also partly confirmed Kolani's theory.

Incidentally, similar giant funerary urns called Mudhumakkal Tazhi or Eema-Tazhi were used in South India. The bodies of the dead were placed in them sitting down and along with personal goods and decorations. This practice existed until 200 AD.
It was common for the Thai, Cambodian and Laotian kingdoms to place the corpse in a vessel. It was believed that in this way the soul gradually passes from the earthly world to the other world. Later the body was burned and the remains were buried in the ground.

Jugs as water reservoirs

There is also a version that these jugs were made as ordinary water storage facilities. Their main function was to collect rainwater for traveling caravans. The fact is that drought periodically occurred in these places, and water supplies came in handy.

The beads found at the bottom of the jars may have been a kind of offering from the caravaners, accompanying prayers for rain.


Legends of the Valley of Jugs

Local residents believe in the legend that giants lived here a long time ago, to whom these vessels did not seem huge at all.

Laotian legends tell of giants who inhabited the area. They were believed to be ruled by a king named Khun Chung. The king waged brutal wars with his neighbors, and when he defeated them all, in honor of this event, he ordered the creation of huge jugs for preparing countless quantities of lao-lao (the so-called traditional local rice wine).


Another version says that the jugs were cast from natural materials, including clay, sand, sugar and animal products.

Local residents believed that the cave at site No. 1 was actually a furnace, and that the vessels were created there rather than carved out of stone.


Valley of Pitchers in tourism

During the Civil War, most sites were heavily strewn with shells and bombs, so studying this phenomenon is difficult.

Between 1964 and 1973, the Valley of Jars was heavily bombed by the US Air Force. In general, the United States dropped more shells on Laos than during the entire Second World War. World War. More than 262 million anti-personnel cluster bombs have been dropped on Laos. According to experts, about 80 million of them did not explode and remained a deadly threat to the local population. Unexploded mines are still found here, so not all sites are accessible to tourists.


The most studied and visited place is located 5 kilometers from the city of Phonsavan and is called site No. 1. In addition to it, seven more sites are available. They are completely cleared of unexploded bombs and are open to visitors. These are sites No. 2, No. 3, No. 16 near the Old Capital of Xieng Khouang, site No. 23 near the hot spring in Muang Kham, site No. 25 and site No. 52, where 392 jars are located.


The Valley of Jars is a territory consisting of 60 sites where very unusual stone vessels of unknown origin were discovered. This strange place located in Xiang Khouang Province.

The estimated age of these amazing finds is 2000 years, but who created them and why is a real mystery. According to Laotian legends, ancient jugs were common utensils of the giants who lived in this valley many thousands of years ago.

Scientific versions suggest that the vessels were used as funeral urns or as containers for collecting water, and perhaps storing rice wine. Despite the global divergence of views on the practical use of stone bowls, no one can prove that they are absolutely right.

Most jugs are characterized by a cylindrical shape, but sometimes cubic examples are also found here. The size of the vessels ranges from 0.5 to 3 meters, and the weight of the largest specimens reaches 6 tons. In the same area, round stone discs were found that may have served as lids. To save unique place It was proposed to include the Valley of Jars on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In the 1930s, Madeleine Colani from France conducted the first archaeological research here. It was she who found a cave with burials and ashes in the vicinity of the valley, which required a long and detailed study, but despite all the painstaking work, historians and archaeologists were never able to collect all the necessary information.

During the Civil War, some of the massive bombing by the American Air Force fell on these lands. The explosions destroyed the cave and damaged a significant number of stone vessels. Moreover, many unexploded shells, which posed a threat of explosions, became a problem for researchers and slowed down the scientific process significantly.

Nowadays, especially for tourists and researchers to visit, local volunteers managed to clear the three best-preserved sites from aerial bombs. Thanks to these brave people the world was able to see these stunning photographs from the Valley of Jugs.

In the center of Laos there is one of the most mysterious places on our planet - the Valley of Jugs. The valley itself would not be so remarkable if there were not hundreds of huge jars on its territory that were created by people thousands of years ago!

The Valley of Jugs is located in the Xianghuang region and consists of several clearings where such unusual jugs are located. Many such sites are scattered along the border of Laos and Vietnam in the lower reaches of the Annam Range. In total, there are over 60 such sites in Laos. In addition, areas similar to the Valley of Pitchers can be found in Thailand and northern India.

The mystery of the valley is also added by the fact that none of the scientists can reliably say which people or tribe built all these jugs and for what purpose! However, judging by the number of jars in the valley, and there are about a thousand of them, these vessels in the middle of an open field were extremely important...

There are not only a lot of jugs, but they also vary greatly in size. There are vessels up to three meters high and weighing more than six tons, and there are very small jugs. Most vessels are round in shape, but rectangular ones are also found.

There is still no exact information about the purpose of these jugs. Scientists theorize that they served ancient people as vessels for storing water. In addition, there are suggestions that the jugs could have been used as funeral vessels. Various household items and bronze jewelry were found in some jugs, which speaks in favor of the second theory. However, no remains were found in the jugs...

The local population has its own point of view on the origin of the Valley of Jugs. People believe that giants once roamed this land, and they scattered their jugs throughout the clearings of Laos.

The average age of the jugs is estimated at 2 thousand years. The material from which the jugs are made is a mixture of sandstone, granite and coral. This is quite curious, since these “ingredients” are practically never found near the sites.

Only a few sections of the valley are open to tourists. The fact is that the Xianghuang region was once subjected to serious bombing by the US Air Force. Several decades have passed since then, but part of the territory is still littered with unexploded charges.

Due to the risk of detonation of old charges in some areas, tourist movement and archaeological research are very limited. Of course, all this negatively affects the development of tourism in the region. Gradually, dangerous areas are being cleared of charges, but the pace of work is not too high...

wikipedia.org/Sc147

At the moment, the Laotians are trying to get the Valley of Jars status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Indeed, such a place is not only very unusual, but also of great interest to researchers. If the Valley of the Jars is cleared of unexploded shells, scientists will be able to fully study the jars and learn about their true purpose, and tourists will have full access to such an interesting object!

Laos is a state in South-East Asia with the capital Vientiane. It borders on Thailand in the west, Vietnam in the east, Cambodia in the south, Yunnan Province in China in the north, and Myanmar in the northwest.

The neighbors - the Vietnamese and Thais - are sure: there are simply no greater lazy people than the Laotians in the world. The old saying “the Vietnamese plant rice, the Khmers watch the planting, and the Laotians listen to the rice grow” has not lost its relevance to this day. It is not surprising that the Laotians are not offended by “lazy people”. Sometimes it seems that they even cherish this trait of national character: they are not in a hurry, meditate and pray quietly in dozens of ancient temples.

This approach to life allows you to live without worries, and at the same time stand out from your neighbors and attract “your” tourists. There are few civilized entertainments that other Asian countries are full of here. But there are untouched jungles, numerous semi-wild tribes and romantic means of transportation such as antediluvian “passenger” barges or “cargo-passenger” elephants plying along the Mekong.

An archaeological site in Laos that is worth a visit when traveling to this country is the Valley of Jars, in Xiang Khouang Province.

The Valley of the Jars is home to thousands of large stone pots scattered at the foot of the Annam Range, which separates Laos and Vietnam.

The size of the pots ranges from 50 centimeters to 3 meters, their weight reaches 6 tons.

The age of the jugs, according to archaeologists, is estimated to be from 1500 to 2000 years.

At the moment, the issue of assigning the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site to the Valley of Pitchers is being decided. The situation is complicated by the fact that Xiang Khouang province was subjected to massive bombing by the American Air Force during the so-called Secret War in the 70s. For this reason, a significant part of the valley remains inaccessible to tourists.

Although more than 400 pitcher sites have been discovered, only three sites are open to tourists. The most large group A pot-house near the town of Phonsavan is called the First Site, which contains about 250 pots of various sizes. Since the jugs lie among unexploded shells, only three sites are open to visitors; visiting other sites is considered dangerous.

Undoubtedly, the plain of vessels would attract much more more tourists, if not for the fact that more than 30% of the dropped bombs have not yet exploded, and remain lost and scattered throughout the valley. According to researchers, approximately 250 thousand hidden booby traps are still in Laos, and tragic incidents involving them are reported almost every week.

There are many different versions of the origin of the mysterious Valley of Jugs.

1. Water vessels

Some sources mention that similar stone jars have also been found in countries such as India and Indonesia. Their locations coincide with trade routes. In connection with this circumstance, there is a hypothesis that the jugs were made for traders from different countries. During the monsoons, rainwater was collected in stone vessels, and travelers and animals could quench their thirst. The beads and other objects found could well have served as offerings to the gods so that rain would come down and fill the jugs with water.

2. Funeral rites

A cave was found in the Valley of Jugs, in which two artificial openings were created. Traces of soot remained inside. It is believed that this cave served as a crematorium, and the openings were chimneys. The condition of the objects and remains found in the jars indicate signs of cremation, and those around the flasks indicate burials without burning. There are several interpretations to explain this fact.

One of the theories. The bodies of the upper classes may have been cremated so that their souls could go to heaven, while the commoners were buried so that their souls could serve as servants of the earth.

Another version. Alternatively, the body of the deceased was placed in a jug, and after some time, when the soul had passed on to another world, it was cremated, and then buried a second time.

Third interpretation. It is likely that at first one person was buried in the jug, and over the years the relatives of the deceased were buried around the vessel.

Legends

According to one of the Laotian legends, huge giants lived in this valley a long time ago and the jugs belonged to them.

Another legend says that the jars were made by King Khung Trung after he defeated his enemies. They were intended to make large quantities of Lao Lao rice wine in celebration of victory.

 

It might be useful to read: