Stone Jars of Assam, North East India A Comprehensive Overview

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to offer an overview of the stone jars of Assam. These unique archaeological remains are located in the central part of Assam and were first reported by J. P. Mills and J. H. Hutton in 1932. From then, they lay in the dark without any systematic archaeological survey or research. In 2014 and 2016, the author and his team conducted archaeological examinations of the jars. The State Department of Archaeology, Assam, also conducted investigations subsequently and reported two new sites. The present paper therefore offers a holistic overview based on these field researches. The paper also considers the stone jars of Laos as well as those from Assam, as both have striking similarities: perhaps both are the products of the same cultural behavior.