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ScienceAustrian Academy of Sciences: Twin infants found buried in decommissioned Roman sewer in Ephesus
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Archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences have analyzed a unique burial in ancient Ephesus (modern-day Turkey), where twin infants were interred in a decommissioned Roman sewer channel within the Odeon of the Artemision temple precinct. The grave, discovered in 2010, dates to the 8th or 9th century AD, centuries after the Roman structure was abandoned. The children died at approximately 33-34 weeks of pregnancy, and their nearly identical size and shared burial suggest they were twins. Researchers note that the placement in a sewer channel, while unusual by modern standards, reflects a Christian-Byzantine practice of caring for infants, who were often buried in non-traditional locations like under house floors or in wells. The study highlights the transition from Roman to Byzantine periods and the special status of newborns in past societies, whose lives were fragile and threatened. The findings were published in the journal 'Childhood in the Past'.
Source report
View of the grave of the two children in ancient Ephesus in present-day Turkey after opening. Source: OeAW-OeAI/L. Zabrana
Dead children in a latrine. A seemingly eerie find in ancient Ephesus has provided archaeologists with surprising insights. According to researchers, the placement in the sewer channel reveals a special form of care.
A grave that is extremely unusual by today's standards is both shocking and fascinating. According to scientists, archaeological finds in ancient Ephesus—in present-day Turkey—show a significant change in the treatment of dead children.
The burial of likely twins in the 8th or 9th century AD in a sewer channel illustrates the transition between the Roman and Christian-Byzantine periods, the Austrian Academy of Sciences explained on Wednesday in Vienna.
According to the information, the grave was located in a decommissioned sewer channel of a Roman latrine in the Odeon of the former Artemision, the temple precinct of the goddess Artemis. Surprisingly, the manner of the Christian burial is an expression of an otherwise unusual care for the infants.
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Graves of very young children were often located in places "without an original burial function, such as under house floors or in wells," explained Caroline Partiot, study author and anthropologist at the Bioarchaeology Lab of the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Academy.
The semicircular auditorium of the Odeon. Source: OeAW-OeAI
A selection of human remains from the latrine. Source: OeAW-OeAI/J. Wurzer
The cist grave made of bricks and stones was reportedly already discovered during excavations in 2010. It has now been determined that the children were only buried in the 8th or 9th century, several centuries after the Roman building was abandoned. Thus, the find also provides clues about the continued use of the abandoned sanctuary area in Byzantine times.
Special Status of Newborns
The burial "simultaneously makes visible the special status of newborns, whose lives in past societies were particularly fragile and constantly threatened," it said. The results of the study were published according to the Academy in the specialist journal Childhood in the Past. Ephesus is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
According to analyses, both children died after about 33 to 34 weeks of pregnancy. The nearly identical body size and the shared burial suggest a twin birth, according to the researchers.
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Twins Buried in Ancient Latrine Reveal Changing Burial Practices in Ephesus