Archaeologists have been baffled by the discovery of dozens of Bronze and Iron Age child graves in southern Norway.
The burials, each marked with circles of carefully placed stones, were discovered by a team from the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History last year near Fredrikstad, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Oslo, near the Swedish border.
“They lay here as a secret until we found them,” museum archaeologist Guro Fosum said Science Norway. “We discovered one after another and ended up with 41 round rock formations.”
The stone circles, which are up to 6 feet (2 meters) in diameter, were placed together like street paving stones, but were buried several inches below the surface.
Several circles were placed around a large central stone, and further investigation revealed burnt bones and pottery shards beneath these stones.
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Now, new analysis shows that almost all of the burials contain children who died between 800 and 200 BC. Many of the children were infants, and others were between the ages of 3 and 6.
“The dating shows that the burial site was in use over a long period of time, so they can’t all have died in the same natural disaster or disease outbreak or epidemic,” Fossum said.
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Unique site
Such a concentration of ancient graves of children is unique for Europe, according to declaration from the museum.
The area surrounding the cemetery is dotted with rock carvings that depict journeys and sun worship, according to the statement.
Experts noted that the infant mortality rate was likely high at the time, but otherwise had no explanation for the child graves.
After securing important samples from the site and photographing it extensively, the archaeologists covered their excavation, the website reported. However, one of the stone formations will soon be featured in an exhibition titled “In Memory of the Children” at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo.
Archaeologists also plan to analyze artifacts from the site, which include pieces of pottery and what may be a metal brooch.
“Analyses of ceramic fragments can tell us a lot,” Fossum said. “It does not appear that all vessels were containers for burnt bones; some have been placed between the graves and we are very curious as to what is inside them.’
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Accidental discovery
Archaeologists discovered the cemetery after investigating a Stone Age settlement nearby, Fossum said.
During the Norse Bronze and Iron Ages, it was common to cremate the dead on pyres and bury or scatter any remaining bones, Fossum said. A flat layer of stones in a spiral or wheel pattern is often built over the cremation site, she said.
But the Fredrikstad burial site is unusual. “The graves are very close together,” Fossum said. “They must have been in an open landscape, with thoroughfares nearby, so anyone could have known about them. Cooking pits and fireplaces around the site suggest that gatherings and ceremonies were held in connection with burials.’
In addition, the graves are meticulously crafted. “Each stone was quarried from a different location and set right into the formation,” Fossum said. “We were wondering who put in so much effort.
The answer came with the revelation that most of the dead were children. “They were little children’s graves,” she said. “It was done with so much care.”
