Bodies of Dozens of Infants From 2,500 Years Ago Discovered in Cistern at Tel Azekah

While excavating Tel Azekah in the Judean lowlands in 2012, archaeologists discovered the remains of over five dozen young children. This is the first time a mass burial of children was ever discovered from the Persian Period in the land of Israel. Research about the discovery was published in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly on March 27.

The researchers believe that the discovery adds insight into why children are largely absent from period cemeteries. They propose that during the Persian Period and “perhaps also during the Iron Age,” children who died before they were weaned did not achieve independent status and did not “earn the honor of a separate burial.”

On today’s podcast, host Brent Nagtegaal analyzes the study and pushes back on some of the archaeologists’ claims in light of the Bible and known Judahite burial practices.

Show Notes

Study: A mass grave of young children and infants from the Persian period in Tel Azekah and its importance for the understanding of burial practices of unweaned infants

Archaeologists Find 2,500-year-old Mass Grave of Infants in Israel by Ariel David

The Death of Children in Ancient Israel by Kristine Garroway