Laid to rest with care: Ancient infants, perhaps twins, found in 1,200-year-old latrine
More than 1,000 years ago, two babies were tucked away in an abandoned Roman toilet channel. Yet, despite what the location suggests, they were cherished, not discarded.
More than a millennium ago, two infants were laid to rest in an ancient Roman latrine channel near the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Despite the unassuming location, the babies were treated with care and respect. The remains were discovered within the remains of an odeion, a Roman concert hall built nearly 2,000 years ago in Ephesos, Turkey.
The channel provided a hidden, protected grave for the infants, who may have been twins, as indicated by the presence of an extra rib in one of the infants. The babies were likely pre-term, born about six weeks early, and were buried side by side on a bed of soil brought from elsewhere. The discovery of the infants sheds light on the care and attention ancient societies afforded vulnerable individuals, challenging preconceived notions about burial practices.
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