Mysterious giant stone jars discovered in India

65 sandstone jars were discovered by a team of researchers in the north-eastern state of Assam, India, over four different sites.

A publication in the Journal of Asian Archaeology, which was published this week, detailed the discovery of the jars, which was led by Tilok Thakuria from North-Eastern Hill University and Uttam Bathari from Gauhati University in India.

Dr Thakuria stated: “Some 10 sites containing more than 700 jars have been uncovered in Assam so far and we believe that these jars date back to before 400 BC.” 

“The next step in this project is to excavate and extensively document features of these jars,” he added.

The jars vary in size and shape, some are tall while others are cylindrical. They are also found in various positions with some being fully buried in the ground. Similar stone vessels have previously been found in Laos and Indonesia.

Nicholas Skopal, a researcher at the Australian National University, which also took part in the discovery, said: “We still don’t know who made the giant jars or where they lived. It’s all a bit of a mystery.”

Although they are still not certain, the researchers believe they were likely associated with mortuary practices. “There are stories from the Naga people (an ethnic group in north-eastern India) of finding the Assam jars filled with cremated remains, beads and other material artefacts,” stated Skopal.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.