TRAGIC burials of a pair of foetuses dating back 6,500 years have been uncovered.
The prehistoric infants were buried just a few feet apart – with one laid to rest inside an old cooking pot.
Foetal burials are considered rare in archaeology because they’re often poorly preserved.
But experts uncovered two such burials in Chaparabad, Iran that date back to the mid-5th millennium BC.
They were found in a vast “architectural space” that measured 310 square metres in size.
One foetus – called specimen L522.1 – was found in what experts think was a kitchen.
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The other, which is called specimen L815.1, was found in an area that experts believe was used as a “storage space”.
And both were buried inside ceramic vessels that belonged to the Dalma culture.
“The burial vessels appear to have been previously used for everyday domestic activities,” said Dr. Mahdi Alirezazadeh, who published the research.
“For example, the vessel associated with L522.1 is a Red Slip Ware, a well-known ceramic type within the Dalma cultural tradition.
“And the smoke staining on its exterior surface suggests prior use as a cooking vessel.”
They were found with other ceramics that belonged to the Dalma and Pisdeli cultures.
So it’s believed that the burials probably took place when both cultures were active in the area around 6,500 years ago.
The L522.1 specimen was especially well preserved, with “approximately 90% of the bones” having survived.
That allowed scientists to analyse the bone fusion and lengths for the foetuses.
Archaeologists think they died between 36 and 38 weeks of gestational age.
And they say there are no signs of trauma, except for a fracture to part of the skull on L522.1.
But it’s believed that this fracture likely happened during or after burial as the skull bone was near the rim of the jar’s opening.
Interestingly, the foetuses received very different burial treatments.
The L522.1 foetus was buried alongside grave goods, including the remains of a sheep or goat.
They were placed inside the vessel near the rim, as well as underneath it.
There was also a “worked stone” found nearby.
The other specimen – L815.1 – was buried without grave goods, and wasn’t located in the kitchen.
“Variability in infant burial practices is well documented during the Dalma and Pisdeli (Chalcolithic) periods,” said Dr Alirezazadeh, of Tarbiat Modares University.
“Some infants were buried with grave goods, while others were not.”
He continued: “In the case of these two burials, they were discovered in very close proximity to each other (less than three meters apart), and both belong to the same chronological context.
“This spatial and temporal closeness allows us to exclude explanations based on broader cultural differences or differences in family rank.
“However, we must emphasise that we did not live within these communities, and therefore, we cannot state with certainty why one infant was accompanied by burial goods while the other was not.
“Our interpretations can only go as far as the available data allow, and further research and more detailed excavations will be required to investigate this issue more fully.”
This study was published in Elsevier’s journal Archaeological Research in Asia.
