Two newborns or infants from a double burial excavated in Croatia near the ancient Roman city of Tragurion were fraternal twins. This is the conclusion reached by scientists who published an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, in which they described the results of their examination of remains dating to the late first and late second centuries AD. Apparently, the boy and girl were either stillborn or died within the first two months of life.
Ancient burials of newborns and infants are rare finds for archaeologists, especially considering that infant mortality rates were likely very high in prehistoric, classical, and medieval societies. This is often due to the fact that infants were not considered fully human and were buried differently from adults; their burials were often located outside of necropolises or on their outskirts. Furthermore, children's bones are much less well-preserved over time.
Burials of children under one year of age are also clearly underrepresented in numerous Roman necropolises. However, archaeologists recently conducted salvage excavations in Croatia near the ancient city of Tragurion (modern-day Trogir), founded by the Greeks on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. During these excavations, the scientists examined the small necropolis of Dragulin, which had been damaged by modern construction and was apparently associated with a villa located outside the city walls. According to the researchers, more than a third of the 42 burials discovered at this site belonged to newborns, infants, or children in their first couple of years of life.
Anna Osterholtz of the University of Mississippi and her colleagues from Slovenia and Croatia devoted an article to the study of one of the graves in this necropolis. In this burial, archaeologists discovered the remains of two newborns or infants, who were buried in a common grave between the late first and late second centuries AD, lying on their sides and facing each other, without any accompanying artifacts (at least none that survived).
Despite the poor state of preservation of these children's bones, scientists conducted a comprehensive study, including ancient DNA and isotopic analysis. Archaeological evidence indicated that the infants were buried simultaneously (or almost simultaneously), and judging by the development of their bones and teeth, they were either stillborn or died shortly after birth—at most two months. Furthermore, pathologies on their remains indicate that the children suffered from placental insufficiency, meaning they did not receive sufficient nutrients during fetal development, leading to metabolic disorders.
Since the infants were buried in the same grave, it was immediately clear that they were possibly closely related. To verify this, the scientists turned to genetic analysis. Genomic analysis confirmed this hypothesis and indicated that the burial contained the remains of fraternal twins, one boy and one girl. Their parents likely originated from local populations that are genetically indistinguishable from the population of the Balkans during the Iron Age, that is, the pre-Roman period.
N+1 previously reported on a study of the burials of two infants excavated in Armenia. Scientists concluded that in the 16th century BC, ancient inhabitants of the Caucasus buried two girls under vishaps who died shortly after birth. Judging by genetic analysis, they were very closely related.
