A new discovery made in Assam, India, adds to the strange sandstone shapes that have not been solved for some time. Archaeologists reported the discovery of 65 more massive sandstones that had previously been sometimes visible and sometimes hidden in the wild.
Similar sites had previously been found in Laos and Indonesia; however, with the new discovery, the total number of known megalithic jar sites in Assam has increased to 11. It is stated that these strange shapes, which are thought to belong to the 13th century BC and 2,000 BC, may have been used for mortuary applications, while it is not known who made them.
They may have been used for funerals
It is stated that some of these ancient objects were long and cylindrical, some like onions, and some in the form of two cones stacked on top of each other. Who built these structures, some partially or almost completely buried, or what purpose they served remains a mystery.
Six of the megalithic jar sites in Assam were first formally described in 1929 by Philip Mills and John Henry Hutton; The seventh site was not discovered until the 2016-2017 expedition, which was part of the work to relocate and catalog the sites identified by Mills and Hutton.
Now, 4 more previously unknown sites have been discovered in a new study that began in 2020 led by archaeologist Tilok Thakuria of North Eastern Hill University in India. Added to the seven previously known areas, a total of 797 jars were detected in various conditions over an area of 300 square kilometers. It was stated that these jars appear to have been deliberately placed on plains ridges, spurs and hills.
However, archaeologists noted that they could not find any sources of sandstone from which the jars were made near any site. “We still don’t know who made the giant jars or where they lived. It’s all a bit of a mystery,” said archaeologist Nicholae Skopal of the Australian National University about this mysterious discovery.
On the other hand, it is speculated that Assam jars may have been used for mortuary applications like those in Laos. Mills and Hutton reported that one of the jars contained cremated bone fragments; The reports of the British anthropologist Ursula Graham Bower, who lived with the Zemi Naga people in the 1930s, pointed out that the Zemi jars were made by the lost Siemi people for burial purposes. On the subject, Skopal’s statements that “The Naga people, the existing ethnic groups in Northeast India, have stories of finding Assam jars filled with cremated remains, beads and other material artifacts,” further strengthens these theories.
Finding more sites is very important for heritage preservation
Moreover, given that the research team only searched a limited area, Assam’s extensive it seems likely that there will be much more jar space in the forested areas. The researchers note that as human settlement expands, it is critical to preserve Assamese heritage. “There doesn’t seem to be any ethnic group living associated with jars in India, which means that the preservation of cultural heritage is important,” Skopal said on the subject. “The longer it takes us to find them, the more crops are planted and forests are cut down in these areas.” The higher their chance of extinction.” he adds.
Finding more similar sites is crucial, not only for determining what the jars are for, but also for preserving the legacy of the mysterious people who made them.
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