Temple of Artemis burial reveals premature twin infants

Archaeologists have documented a Temple of Artemis burial at Ephesus in Turkey that contained two premature infants, likely twins, interred in a 1,200-year-old stone-lined tomb. The grave was set within an abandoned latrine, and researchers say the placement appears intended to safeguard the babies in the afterlife.

“This interment was made in an unexpected and exceptional setting,” said Lilli Zabrana of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, who co-authored a new study on the find. Previous burials at Ephesus were located in a designated cemetery beyond the ancient sanctuary’s limits.

Temple of Artemis burial found in odeum latrine

The study, published online July 13 in the journal Childhood in the Past, examined remains from a tomb likely constructed in the eighth to ninth century during the Middle Byzantine period. According to the team, the grave was inserted into a disused latrine channel built in the second or third century.

That latrine served a Roman odeum, a music hall from the first century that stood within the sacred precinct of the renowned Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World with origins around 550 B.C.

When the cist, or stone-lined grave, was opened, two small skeletons lay side by side. Based chiefly on bone size, the researchers estimated the infants were delivered at roughly 33 to 34 weeks of gestation, about seven and a half months in utero.

By comparison, a full-term pregnancy generally lasts between 39 and 40 weeks. “The hypothesis that they were twins is based on the fact that they have very similar ages at death and were buried in direct contact with one another,” said co-author Caroline Partiot, a bioarchaeologist at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

She added that only future DNA analysis can confirm whether they were twins.

Rare cervical rib identified in one infant

The team found no evidence of trauma or disease on the bones but noted that one infant had a supernumerary cervical rib, an extra rib that develops at the base of the neck in about 1% of people and usually causes no symptoms. Partiot has previously reported links in infants between cervical ribs and anomalies in Hox genes, which guide embryonic development, that may be associated with stillbirth, prematurity, or sudden infant death.

The authors wrote that they are unaware of any prior archaeological case documenting twins with cervical ribs. Related research on early-life risk factors has also highlighted warning signs younger adults must know about certain cancers.

Interment reflects local practices and Christian rites

The unusual location may relate to the infants’ deaths before baptism, the researchers proposed. They described the placement as a practical compromise between Christian burial customs and local traditions at the time.

The team did not identify remains of the twins’ mother nearby or in the Ephesus cemetery. “It is possible she died at the same time, but it is also possible that she did not; it is difficult to say,” Partiot noted, citing high infant and maternal mortality in the period.

The protective construction of the cist preserved the skeletons for more than a millennium, which Zabrana said indicates a respectful burial rather than simple disposal. The authors concluded that the tomb reflects a family’s intention to care for the infants in death and to recognize their brief place in the community.

Citation: Partiot, C., Zabrana, L. (2026). Peace in unexpected places: The Middle Byzantine burial of two perinates, possibly twins, in a latrine canal of the Odeion in the Artemision of Ephesos. Childhood in the Past. https://doi.org/10.1080/17585716.2026.2682804