Plain of Jars, Laos
Thousands of giant stone jars scattered over grassy hills. Nobody is sure who made them or why.
Terra Explorer Ancient wonders
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The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Laos
- Position
- 19.4333, 103.1500
- Area
- 10 × 10 km
- Real elevation
- 1,051 to 1,303 m (252 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:66,700
- Heights
- 2× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- Natural
- Group
- Ancient wonders
About Plain of Jars, Laos
The Plain of Jars (Lao: ທົ່ງໄຫຫີນ Thong Hai Hin, [tʰōŋ hǎj hǐn]) is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos. It consists of thousands of stone jars scattered around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau. The jars are arranged in clusters ranging in number from one to several hundred. The Xiangkhoang Plateau is at the northern end of the Annamese Cordillera, the principal mountain range of Indochina. French researcher Madeleine Colani concluded in 1930 that the jars were associated with burial practices. Excavation by Lao and Japanese archaeologists in the intervening years has supported this interpretation with the discovery of human remains, burial goods and ceramics around the jars.
From Wikipedia: Plain of Jars, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Plain of Jars, Laos
Where is Plain of Jars?
Plain of Jars is in Laos at 19.4333, 103.1500. The model covers a 10 by 10 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Plain of Jars model?
The land in this model runs from 1,051 to 1,303 m (252 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 2 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print Plain of Jars?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 12.6 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:66,700. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Plain of Jars model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Plain of Jars model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Plain of Jars terrain model good for?
People use it as a desk piece for history lovers, a classroom model or a gift for someone who has been there.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Plain of Jars, Laos from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The model covers a 10 by 10 kilometer square centered on 19.4333, 103.1500. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:66,700. The heights are exaggerated 2× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
