ASSAM, INDIA—According to a statement released by Australian National University (ANU), 65 giant sandstone jars were discovered at new sites in northeastern India during a survey of known jar sites conducted by researchers from ANU, North Eastern Hill University, and Gauhati University. Similar jars have also been found in Laos and Indonesia. The jars at the newly discovered sites vary in shape and decoration. Some of the jars, which reach about ten feet tall and six feet wide, were partially buried while others had been fully buried, explained research team member Nicholas Skopal. “There are stories from the Naga people, the current ethnic groups in north-east India, of finding the Assam jars filled with cremated remains, beads, and other material artifacts,” Skopal said. The jars in all of the locations are thought to be tied to burial rituals. To read about another recent archaeological excavation in India, go to "Tamil Royal Palace."
