The Megaliths of Upper Laos

The Megaliths of Upper Laos (orig. French: Les Megaliths du Haut Laos) is a 1930 work of archaeology by Madeleine Colani, examining and cataloging approximately ten thousand megaliths in Upper Laos.[1] Prior to Colani's work, the megaliths were considered among the more mysterious megaliths.[2] Colani, after reviewing the Plain of Jars for decades, cataloged the megaliths and argued "convincingly" in The Megaliths of Upper Laos that they were urns,[2] used in Bronze Age funerary rites.[3]

The Megaliths of Upper Laos, a two-volume, 600-page work that both cataloged and described the artifacts, and presented Colani's theories as to their origin and use, has been described as Colani's "great contribution to archaeological literature".[2] The book brought the megaliths to the broader attention of the Western public and scholarly community.[1]


Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ben Hills, "Crack open the jars", Sydney Morning Herald, Oct. 7, 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Elisabeth Eaves, "In Laos, the Lady and the Jars", New York Times, July 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Russell Ciochon and Jamie James, "Laos Keeps Its Urns", Ciochon's Bioanthropology Website, University of Iowa (last visited July 16, 2012).