ARCHEOLOGISTS have been left stunned after finding children buried in a 2,500-year-old cemetery with oversized belts meant for warrior men.
Some 34 burials have been unearthed at a site in the town of Pontecagnano Faiano, with around half containing skeletons of children aged between two and 10.
The belts are clearly not meant for children due to their sheer sizeCredit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape
Two children were uncovered with a chunky belt on top of themCredit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape
Some 34 new burials were found in the latest digCredit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape
But there are two in particular that have caught the attention of experts.
The pair are both buried with large bronze belts placed over them, objects that are usually exclusive to adult male burials from the pre- Samnite people.
Samnites were a powerful group of tribes that lived in the mountainous area of the central Apennines in Italy.
They were a major rival to the early Roman Republic and engaged in a series of brutal wars between 343 BC and 290 BC.
Scientists aren’t entirely sure what this peculiar and rare find means.
But there are some possible theories.
Perhaps they were used as a symbol of their rite of passage into adulthood that they weren’t able to achieve as their lives were tragically cut short.
Or, it could be a symbol of status from a noble warrior family.
The other burials contained more typical objects associated with Samnite culture.
These include tools used for banquets and containers for ointments.
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But it’s not the first time a child has been found with a chunky bronze belt like this on top of them.
have been painstakingly studying Pontecagnano since the 1960s, where they’ve uncovered more than 10,000 tombs.
Back in 2021, they found a 12-year-old boy’s remains with the bronze belt.
Lead archeologist Gina Tomay told Italian press that it was a “find of great significance”.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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