2,500-Year-Old Graveyard Reveals the Burial of 39 Children and Just Two Adults

A fairly unsettling discovery has been unearthed out of a recent excavation in Østfold county, Norway - a 2,500-year-old graveyard containing 39 individual burials, exclusively of children under the age of six! An analysis of bone fragments that avoided cremation revealed this rather gruesome fact, along with 2 additional graves containing adult bodies, found apart from the main group. All in all, these were arranged as a cluster of 41 symmetrical stone circles.

The stones in the graves were laid closely together, resembling cobblestones in a street. Several graves featured a large stone at the center, and beneath these stones, archaeologists discovered remains of pottery and burned bones, according to a statement by The Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo.

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Archaeologists at work in a large burial field in southeastern Norway, where 40 circular stone formations with cremated bone remains, mostly from children, were found placed in the middle. (Museum of Cultural History/Science Norway)

High Infant Mortality Rates? Carefully Arranged Graves

Many of the deceased were infants, while others were between three and six years old at the time of death, likely reflecting a high infant mortality rate during this period. This field of children's graves is unique in a Norwegian context, raising numerous questions which will likely remain unanswered in the immediate future.

Excavation leader Guro Fossum, an archaeologist from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, told Science in Norway:

"There was something special about the whole site. Cooking pits and fireplaces around the site suggest that gatherings and ceremonies were held in connection with burials. Additionally, all the graves were so nice and meticulously crafted. Each stone was sourced from a different location and placed precisely in the formation. We wondered who put in so much effort.”

These graves date back to the transitional period between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, specifically between 800 and 200 BC. This timeframe was unexpected for archaeologists, who initially anticipated finding Stone Age artifacts while clearing ground for the expansion of a local quarry.

“The dating show that the burial site was used over a long period, so they couldn’t all have died in the same natural disaster or outbreak of disease or epidemic,” says Fossum.

The graves were strategically located near thoroughfares, making them known to the entire community rather than being secret burials. They were round or oval, with diameters up to 2 meters (6.5 feet), some featuring a central flagstone surrounded by edge stones – a design previously unseen in Europe, according to the archaeologists.

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Some of the graves featured a central flagstone, as seen here. (Guro Fossum/Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo)

An Egalitarian Society? Burial Indicators

Fossum finds it interesting that men, women, and especially children had their own graves and received the same treatment for centuries. She notes that the social structure appeared to be more egalitarian, as there was little difference between the graves.

The same types of graves, grave goods, and burial methods were used, indicating a society where community was important. Only one of the graves in the field dates to after the year 0. From that point on, burial practices gradually changed, with hierarchies and large burial mounds reserved only for those with status.

“We don't know what kind of beliefs they had, why the dead were burned and buried. It’s possible that they believed the body had to be destroyed and transformed through fire to release the soul. Maybe these traditions and rituals were meant to honor and remember those who had died. We do the same now: we remember those who lived before us with rituals and memorials,” says Fossum.

The exact reasons behind these burials may remain a mystery, but the excavation is now showcased in an exhibition at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, titled " In Memory of the Children”. Running until September 29, 2024, the exhibition includes a reconstruction of one of the stone graves.

Excavation of pottery at the site. (Guro Fossum/Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo)

Ongoing work includes analyzing fragments of pottery discovered at the site, which may have been containers for the burned bones. These findings could provide further insights into the lives of the people from this ancient community.

“Analyses of the pottery fragments can tell us a lot. It doesn’t appear that all the vessels were containers for burnt bones; some were placed between the graves, and we are very curious about what was inside them,” concluded Fossum.

Top image: Archaeologists at work in a large burial field in southeastern Norway, where 40 circular stone formations with cremated bone remains, mostly from children, were found.   Source: Guro Fossum/Museum of Cultural History/ University of Oslo

By Sahir Pandey