Unraveling the mystery of the Plain of Jars, Laos

自20世纪30年代被发现以来，散布在老挝中部的巨大石罐的神秘收藏一直是东南亚史前的重大谜题之一。人们认为，这些罐子代表着广泛而强大的铁器时代文化的停尸房遗迹。这个项目试图确定这些地点的真实性质，这些地点可以追溯到东南亚一个复杂程度不断增加的动态时期(公元前5000年至公元前5000年)。该项目需要进行广泛的勘察、精确测绘、考古挖掘和分析相关的埋葬材料。使用一套尖端的考古技术，预计将对考古学、科学、老挝和世界遗产产生深远的影响。

Since their discovery in the 1930s, the mysterious collections of giant stone jars scattered throughout central Laos have remained one of the great prehistoric puzzles of south-east (SE) Asia. It is thought that the jars represent the mortuary remains of an extensive and powerful Iron Age culture. This project seeks to determine the true nature of these sites, which date to a dynamic period of increasing complexity in SE Asia (c.500BCE-500CE). The project entails extensive reconnaissance, precision mapping, archaeological excavation and analysis of associated burial material. Using a suite of cutting-edge archaeological technologies, it is expected to have far-reaching benefits for archaeology, science, Laos and World Heritage.