{"id":2896,"date":"2026-04-12T04:11:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/israelagora.com.br\/en\/?page_id=2896"},"modified":"2026-04-12T04:11:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:11:34","slug":"descoberta-arqueologica-revela-segredo-de-enterros-de-bebes-na-epoca-biblica","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/israelagora.com.br\/en\/?page_id=2896","title":{"rendered":"Archaeological discovery reveals secret of infant burials in biblical times"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University found a 2500-year-old infant mass grave at Tel Azekah, some 30 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem, in a discovery revealed in a study published in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly journal in March 2026. In the image, a section of the archaeological layer including the burials. (The Lautenschl\u00c3\u00a4ger Azekah Expedition)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
<\/p>

\r\n\tdoi.org\/10.1080\/00310328.2025.2589646<\/a>
Credibility<\/a>: 9<\/font>8<\/font>9<\/font>
#Judah<\/a><\/p>

<\/p>

\r\n\tArchaeologists from Tel Aviv University have made a stunning and moving discovery at Tel Azekah, an ancient site about 30 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem in the Judean Lowlands<\/strong><\/p>

Inside an abandoned water reservoir, they found the remains of dozens of babies and young children who lived approximately 2,500 years ago.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nThe site contained between 68 and 89 individuals, with the vast majority-about 90%-being under five years old and 70% under two years old.<\/p>

\r\nThese bones were deposited over nearly 100 years, during the early Persian period, between the 6th and 5th centuries BC, a time when Azekah was a Jewish city that remained inhabited even after the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nThe reservoir, built much earlier, had been used to store water and then abandoned for several decades.<\/p>

\r\nInstead of being cleaned and reused as a cistern, it became a collective burial site for these bodies.<\/p>

\r\nThe bones were mixed together, without complete skeletons, which is common in young children due to the fragility of their bones at that age.<\/p>

\r\nThere were no signs of violence, specific disease, or human sacrifice-the bodies were neither burned nor placed in jars, as was common in rituals of other cultures in the region.<\/p>

\r\nThis discovery helps solve a long-standing enigma for archaeologists.<\/p>

\r\nIn cemeteries from the Iron Age and Persian periods in Israel, the remains of babies or very young children were almost never found.<\/p>

\r\nNow, the reason is better understood: in ancient Jewish society, children who had not yet been weaned-which usually happened around two or three years of age-may not have been considered fully “persons” entitled to an individual tomb.<\/p>

\r\nThey were buried collectively in places like this reservoir.<\/p>

\r\nThis does not mean that the parents did not love their children.<\/p>

\r\nInfant mortality was very high in ancient times, and it was common for four or five out of every seven children to die before the age of four.<\/p>

\r\nFamilies continued to show affection, as biblical stories show, such as that of Samuel, who stayed with his mother until he was weaned.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nProfessor Oded Lipschits, who leads the excavations, said that the team excavated with extreme care, collecting every little piece of bone and documenting everything in detail, but it took years before they had the courage to investigate what they had found in depth.<\/p>

\r\nBiologist Hila May, responsible for analyzing the bones, highlighted that she had never seen so many bodies gathered in one place.<\/p>

\r\nNow, DNA analyses are underway to discover more about the origin, gender, and possible family relationships of these children.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nThis is the first mass grave of babies of this type found in Israel.<\/p>

\r\nIt sheds light on the customs, beliefs, and daily life of the Jews who remained in the land of Judah after the Babylonian exile.<\/p>

\r\nIt also shows how ancient societies dealt with the harsh reality of premature death, without diminishing the emotional value that parents placed on their little ones.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nThe research was published in March 2026 in the journal “Palestine Exploration Quarterly” and opens new doors to better understand the biblical world through archaeology.

\r\n\r\n

Published in 04\/12\/2026 04h11<\/em><\/p>\r\n

\r\n

Portuguese version<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n\t\t

Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.<\/p>\r\n\t\t

\r\n\t\t

Reference article:<\/p>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n