In the northern Xieng Khuang province of Laos, a bizarre collection of large circular objects dot the countryside. Believed to be over 2000 years old, the best guess concerning the function of these cylinders located on the Plain of Jars is that they had some role in an ancient funeral rite.
Constructed of sandstone and weighing at least a ton, these objects reside in an area which suffered greatly during the American “Secret War.” Many of the cylinders were damaged or shattered by missiles. Today, visitors are not allowed to visit most of the ancient sites, which have not been cleared of active cluster bombs.
