Remains of Newborn Iberian Twins Found at Olerdola Archaeological Site in Catalonia

Posted on May 31, 2012

Researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) discovered the remains of newborn twin girls in the archaeological site of Olerdola in Barcelona. The remains date back to between the middle of the 4th century B.C. to the beginning of the 2nd century B.C.

Eulalia Subira, researcher at the UAB and coauthor of the study published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, says, "This is the first documented case in the Iberian Peninsula. There has been much talk of possible twins but never has sufficient data been gathered in the field to determine whether findings belong to the same chronological moment in time, nor has data ever been found on the same stratigraphic level to guarantee with such certainty like in this instance."

The remains were found in the archaeological site of Sant Miquel d'Olerdola in Catalonia. The researchers expect the remains belong to two girls between 38 and 40 weeks of gestation who were buried at the same time in the same grave with their legs entwined. The researchers say in the study, "none of the bone remains show pathological evidence of the cause of death but it could have been a consequence of difficult pregnancy or childbirth. Lack of sufficient hygiene could have lead to infant and maternal mortality in Prehistoric times."

The discovery offers new information to the numerous documented cases of child burials during the Iberian Age, when perinatal children were not buried in cemeteries.

Subira says, "The Olerdola archaeological site is itself very interesting. It has always been said that throughout the Iberian Age newly born children were not buried in cemeteries. In this case, they were found in a skin tanning and dying area: in other words, a space dedicated to work."

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ARCHAEOLOGY