Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a mass grave with the remains of 89 children.

Israeli archaeologists have presented the results of a study of a mass grave in the ancient city of Azeka, which dates back 2.5 thousand years. During excavations conducted from 2012 to 2014, the remains of 89 people were discovered, most of them infants and young children, the March 28 edition of Haaretz reported.

The find was made at a reservoir on the outskirts of the settlement, but a full-fledged analysis of the remains began only 10 years later, due to the heavy emotional component of the topic. The examination revealed that 90% of those buried were children under the age of five, and more than 70% of them were under the age of two.

Scientists ruled out the possibility of an epidemic or military conflict, as no signs of violence were found on the bones, and the burial itself was formed gradually over several decades. The grave also contained several skeletons of teenagers and young women, presumably deceased in childbirth.

In the near future, scientists will conduct a DNA analysis to obtain more accurate information about the origin and health of the victims. The burial in Azeka differs from other mass graves of that time in its peaceful nature.

For comparison, archaeologists have found a grave in Serbia of the 9th century BC, which contained the remains of 77 people (mostly women and children). In that case, the study revealed the fact of mass killings of victims who were beaten with clubs and pelted with stones. Research in Azek, on the contrary, suggests that the burial is associated with the social and religious traditions of that time.

Arkeonews magazine reported on March 3 that in Constanta, Romania, archaeologists have discovered 34 tombs from the Roman period, a rare Greek inscription from the 3rd century and a metal umbone ceremonial shield. Some of them were catacomb structures with several burials in one underground chamber. This indicates organized family or community burial traditions, rather than individual graves.

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