ANTHROPOLOGY Undergraduate Research Journal | 1 The Plain of Jars

The Plain of Jars has a variety of reputations both real and imaginary. These monolithic carved jars boast legends of giants celebrating a victorious, and perhaps fictitious, military victory with large vats of wine (Ciochon & James, 1995). In reality, most archaeological evidence proves that the Jars were used in various funerary practices. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Plain of Jars became known as the battleground of a very real war waged by the United States secretly during the Vietnam/American War, also known as the Second Indochina War. In recent years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has nominated the jars for the World Heritage List. Their proposal consists of clearing unexploded ordinance (UXO) and promoting conservation while encouraging tourism to improve the local economy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). This paper will detail the history of the archaeological excavations and research completed on the Plain of Jars, the impact of UXO on the site, and the ongoing efforts of UNESCO to protect and preserve the Plain of Jars as