Bones Of Around 100 Male Infants Found In Roman-Era Sewer Have A Grim Explanation

During excavations of a bathhouse in Ashkelon, Israel, archaeologists came across a grim discovery. Beneath the bathhouse – built in the 4th century CE and used until the 6th century CE – in the sewer, they found the bones of nearly 100 male infants, mixed in with animal bones.

A study of the bones, carefully reconstructing the sets, found all parts of the skeletons to be there, though the sheer number of bones meant that they could not separate out the individuals. The good condition of the bones suggested that the infants had been disposed of soon after death “when the soft tissues were still present”.