26th June 2010, 10:21 PM
Not so many grave sites found, but there are plenty of references in Roman literature to infanticide - so the practice in itself is not unusual. I like Troll's idea of a Roman laying-in hospital.
Although the bones were kept from the excavation , there doesn't seem to much in the way of supporting straitgraphic evidence so the context of the burials and the time period over which they were interred may be difficult to establish. I mean if the site was in use for 300+ years then the number of nenoate burials per year is extremely small and probably not statistically significant (roughly one dead child every 3 years seems to be a remarkably low infant death rate) and of course the 'sensational' aspect of the story loses some of its phlegm.....
Although the bones were kept from the excavation , there doesn't seem to much in the way of supporting straitgraphic evidence so the context of the burials and the time period over which they were interred may be difficult to establish. I mean if the site was in use for 300+ years then the number of nenoate burials per year is extremely small and probably not statistically significant (roughly one dead child every 3 years seems to be a remarkably low infant death rate) and of course the 'sensational' aspect of the story loses some of its phlegm.....
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...