The Valley of Pitchers is a territory consisting of 60 sites on which very unusual stone vessels of unknown origin were discovered. This strange place is located in Xieng Khouang province.
The estimated age of these amazing finds is 2000 years, but who and why created them is a real mystery. According to Laotian legends, ancient jugs were the usual dishes of the giants who lived in this valley many thousands of years ago.
Scientific versions suggest that the vessels were used as burial urns or as containers for collecting water, and perhaps storing rice wine. Despite the global divergence of views on the practical use of stone bowls, no one can prove their absolute correctness.
Most jugs are cylindrical in shape, but sometimes there are also cubic samples. The size of the vessels ranges from 0.5 to 3 meters, and the weight of the largest specimens reaches 6 tons. In the same area, round stone discs were found, possibly serving as covers. To preserve the unique site, it was proposed to include the Valley of the Pitchers on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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In the 1930s, Madeleine Colani from France conducted the first archaeological research here. It was she who found a cave with burials and ashes in the vicinity of the valley, which required a long and detailed study, but despite all the painstaking work, historians and archaeologists did not manage to collect all the necessary information.
During the Civil War, part of the massive bombing by the American Air Force fell on these lands. The explosions destroyed the cave and damaged a significant number of stone vessels. Moreover, many unexploded ordnance, which posed a threat of explosions, became a problem for researchers and slowed down the scientific process at times.
Nowadays, especially for tourists and researchers, local volunteers managed to clear three of the best-preserved sites from aerial bombs. Thanks to these brave people, the world was able to see these stunning photos from the Valley of the Pitchers.