Roman babies with rickets and scurvy buried together in Croatia 2,000 years ago

Tragurium (Trogir, in the current Croatia) was an important port on the Adriatic Sea coast. Founded by the Greek settlers in the third century BC, the square was losing importance during the Roman Empire by the rise of the nearby Salona (located around Split). Even in Roman times, the city retained many elements of Hellenistic culture, a society in which children’s burials often differ from those of adults. An example of this is the recent finding made in the cemetery of the Villa de Dragulin, located on the outskirts of Tragurium. Placed face to Croatian archaeologists have discovered the remains of two twin babies buried together in a tomb dating from between the first and second centuries after Christ. His skeletons were placed face to face in the same pit, which suggests that they were buried together in the same ceremony. As explained by the researchers in an article published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: reports, the genetic analysis carried out in the laboratory have determined that the little ones, who had less than two months when they died, were a boy and a girl. Tragurium was an important port of the Adriatic Sea Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports The experts point out that it is most likely that they were morinatos, that is, babies who died after the 28th week of pregnancy, before childbirth or just during their birth, probably because of an early metabolic disease, which highlights the high rates of infant mortality of ancient mortality. The ancient tragurium had two cemeteries: the communal necropolis that worked from the 1st century to VI DC and another located in a Roman villa in Dragulin that was active between the end of the 1st century BC and the IV after Christ. The location of babies within the field has generated questions about funeral traditions. Also read in this region with deep Hellenistic influences, adults were commonly incinerated or buried in structured cemeteries, while babies received a burial in domestic areas or private spaces. In Dragulin, on the other hand, several children’s tombs have been found, including some within large clay jugs, a practice observed in Roman traditions. The position of the twins within the sarcophagus suggests that their family had special care in their burial, challenging the notion that Roman society treated children with indifference. The little ones were located face to face Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports The bioarcheological analysis of the remains revealed signs of serious diseases, including scurvy and rickets, conditions caused by the lack of essential nutrients. The researchers believe that the twins suffered malnutrition before birth, possibly due to their mother’s state of health during pregnancy. An additional isotopic study suggests that the mother’s diet consisted of food typical of the Roman era, including seafood, wheat and barley. The dependence on marine and cereal products corresponds to Mediterranean dietary patterns within Roman food culture. Exposure to lead findings confirm that the twins received all their nutrients from their mother, either in the uterus or through breastfeeding. Even so, experts are also exploring whether lead exposure – which was widely used at the time to do pipes, kitchen or cosmetics utensils) was key in children’s health problems. Previous works already indicated that lead levels in Roman populations were significantly higher than in previous societies, particularly in regions where Greek settlements had been reharmed with subsequent infrastructure. Lead poisoning can alter fetal development and weaken the immune system, which makes babies more vulnerable to diseases. Specialists still have to perform several tests to tragurium twins, but the high number of metabolic disorders throughout the community suggests that this type of pollution may have been a determining factor.

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