infant

21 December, 2019 - 19:27 ancient-origins

Babies Found in Jars Reveal Insights into Ancient Breastfeeding

Historians down the ages have examined the ebb and flow of populations in ancient societies. But most of these examinations have tended to focus on male dominated events – the wars, the politics, and...

Infant burial site, Gela, Sicily. Source: Regione Siciliana

3 December, 2019 - 03:31 Ed Whelan

Unusual Greek Baby Burial Unearthed in Sicily

An unusual discovery has been made on the Italian island of Sicily. A 2700-year-old burial of a new-born infant has been unearthed accompanied by the remains of an animal. The find is expected to...

‘The Birth of the Milky Way’ (1636-1637) by Peter Paul Rubens.

1 December, 2018 - 18:50 dhwty

Breastfeeding Beliefs: From Invincibility to Universal Creation

Breastfeeding is an infant feeding practice in which a child is fed breast milk directly from breast to mouth. Breastfeeding could be performed by the mother herself or by a wet nurse. Evidence of...

Left: The baby was found tucked under the arm of a woman in a grave in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. Right: An artist's impression of the grave.

1 February, 2018 - 13:58 Alicia McDermott

Stone Age Grave of a Mother and Child is the Oldest Baby Burial in the Netherlands

Researchers working at an archaeological site in the Netherlands have made a startling Stone Age discovery. They have unearthed the earliest known example of a baby’s grave in the Netherlands...

A scientific illustration of what the Upward Sun River camp, where the remains of the ancient child were discovered, would have looked like. Source: Eric Carlson in collaboration with Ben Potter.

4 January, 2018 - 18:50 Theodoros Karasavvas

Ancient Infant DNA Rewrites the History of Humans Entering North America

Scientists claim that a genetic analysis of the 11,500-year-old remains of an infant girl from Alaska has shed new light on the populating of the Americas. The new finds suggest that the “Last...

A dragon-like animal head (pictured), made from antler or horn, was found in the grave of a small child.

29 December, 2017 - 01:51 ancient-origins

Magical new 4,500 year old finds add to 'oldest toy collection in the world'

By: The Siberian Times reporter Archaeologists have made ‘rare’ discoveries of pre-historic toys at the Itkol II burial ground in the Republic of Khakassia, southern Siberia. At 4,500 years old, they...

The remains of the toddler with an elongated skull in Crimea. Credit: Archaeology Fund

30 July, 2017 - 18:58 aprilholloway

2,000-Year-Old Toddler Skeleton with Elongated Skull Unearthed in Crimea

The remains of a 1.5-year-old boy with a pronounced elongation of the skull have been found by archaeologists at a 2,000-year-old burial site in Crimea. Russian archaeologists say that the skull...

19 January, 2017 - 00:44 Natalia Klimczak

Unravelling the Mystery of the Maronite Mummies: Why Were Medieval Mummies Hidden in a Cave?

When archaeologists found a cache of medieval mummies in a Lebanese cave, the amazing discovery took their breath away. The remarkably well-preserved bodies of eight people who were buried in Qadisha...

27 December, 2016 - 01:59 nrushton

Swapping Babies: The Disturbing Faerie Changeling Phenomenon

The worldwide stories of faerie changelings come under a group of motifs recorded in the Aarne-Thompson folklore index as F321: ‘Faerie steals child from cradle and leaves faerie substitute.’ The...

issected foetal skull dating from the 1800s, originally held in the University of Cambridge Anatomy Museum.

2 July, 2016 - 18:33 ancient-origins

Infant Bodies Were Prized by 19th Century Anatomists, Study Suggests

A study of the University of Cambridge anatomy collection dating from the 1700s and 1800s shows how the bodies of stillborn foetuses and babies were a “prized source of knowledge” and were dissected...

The ‘standing burial’ with mixed bones and parts of the spine in correct anatomical position. Two arm bones left of the spine show gnawing marks and are situated in different directions. The large truncated blade is typical for the late Mesolithic.

13 February, 2016 - 00:49 Alicia McDermott

New Study Analyzes a Mesolithic Cemetery Full of Children and an Odd Standing Burial

Researchers have found some unique burials amongst the remains in one of Europe’s oldest cemeteries – the 8,500-year-old Gross Fredenwalde cemetery. So far nine skeletons have been excavated at the...

Infant discovered in 4,500-year-old burial mound with eight intricately carved figurines. The infant also wears headgear made from 11 copper plaques sewn together.

23 December, 2015 - 00:52 Natalia Klimczak

Surprising toys in the ancient grave

A burial containing mysterious tiny figurines were discovered in the grave of an infant which, according to archeologists, dates back 4,500 years. One of the theories says that the figurines may have...

The baby was buried in tightly closed stone box, so the body was in an isolated air chamber for over 1,500 years.

26 August, 2015 - 22:13 ancient-origins

Mummified new-born baby protected in leather shroud for 1,500 years ago found in Altai Mountains

The tragic infant's remains were unearthed in excavations near Kurai village in Kosh-Agach district of the Altai Republic in southern Siberia. The baby's remains were sealed in a tightly closed stone...

Elongated Skulls in utero - Morton Collection

3 January, 2015 - 12:21 Igor Gontcharov

Elongated Skulls in utero: A Farewell to the Artificial Cranial Deformation Paradigm?

Elongated skulls are usually explained in terms of head-binding or artificial cranial deformation. This paradigm emerged in the first half of the 19 th century as a way of explaining unusual skulls...

16 July, 2014 - 03:08 aprilholloway

Scientists reveal cause of death of 6,500-year-old Detmold child

The Detmold Child is the name that has been given to an ancient Peruvian mummy that dates back an incredible 6,500 years - that's 3,000 years before the birth of Tutankhamun. Recent computer...

14 May, 2014 - 13:01 aprilholloway

Infant-sized ancient Egyptian sarcophagus found to contain mummified foetus

An infant-sized ancient Egyptian sarcophagus with an unknown history has sat on display at an Egypt centre in Wales for some time, with most believing it a forgery, due to inconclusive x-rays carried...