TPO Writing - پنجاه و نه

TPO 59 – Integrated Writing Scripts

Despite what you just read the Plain of Jars is actually quite mysterious. The purpose of the jars is still uncertain.

First, the fermentation theory is probably not true. In Laos, pots that are traditionally used to ferment drinks are made of clay. You could use stone jars for fermentation too, but frankly, creating stone jars is difficult. Creating stone containers is much more time-consuming and expensive than making containers from clay. Why would ancient people have expended all this effort on creating stone jars for fermentation when clay pots were easier to make and could have served the same purpose just as effectively?

Second, it’s unlikely that the jars were created for the purpose of storing water for travelers. Although the jars were located near ancient trade routes, these routes were also close to rivers and streams. People who were travelling near a river probably had no need for an additional source of fresh water, so it’s unlikely that the jars would have been used for this purpose.

Third, the large size of the jars and the presence of tools, beads, and jewelry in some jars suggests that the jars may have been used as tombs for burying human remains. But there is one serious problem with this theory. Tombs are usually covered in order to protect the human remains and artifacts that are buried alongside them from the weather, from thieves, and so on. But the stone jars found in the Plain of Jars do not have any covers. No one has found any type of cover either on the jars themselves or nearby. Without covers to protect the human remains, it’s unlikely that the jars were used as tombs.