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Ephesus Twin Infant Tomb – New Findings

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2026-07-29 08:45 UTC → 2026-08-01 00:05 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Ephesus Twin Infant Tomb ~~Study~~ – New ~~Insights~~ Findings

Archaeologists at the ancient Roman‑Byzantine site of Ephesus have continued to examine a sealed stone cist discovered beneath a disused toilet channel close to the Temple of Artemis. Radiocarbon dating places the burial in the 8th–9th century AD, linking it to early Byzantine Christian customs. The cist contained two pre‑term infants, interpreted as twins born around 33–34 weeks gestation, positioned side‑by‑side with heads to the west and feet to the east. One infant displayed a rare supernumerary cervical rib, an anomaly seen in about 1 % of modern populations. The bodies were wrapped in cloth and protected by stone and brick, suggesting a deliberate, respectful interment rather than ordinary cemetery disposal. No grave goods or signs of trauma were found. Researchers ~~plan~~ Lilli Zabrana and Caroline Partiot of the Austrian Academy of Sciences noted the unusual location within an abandoned latrine of a Roman odeon, proposing that burial before baptism may have been prohibited, prompting the family to use this marginal space. The findings were published in the journal *Childhood in the Past*, and DNA sequencing ~~and further osteological analysis~~ is planned to confirm twin status and explore neonatal mortality and genetic traits in the population. The study, led by bioarchaeologists Caroline Partiot and Lilli Zabrana of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, underscores the care given to infants even in marginal spaces during the early medieval period.

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