Two children buried in bronze belts were discovered during the excavation of a 2,500-year-old necropolis in in southwestern Italy, the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Salerno and Avellino said in an early March social media post.
Archaeologists estimated the children's ages to be between five and 10 years-old, the Superintendency explained in its post, adding that the belts they were found buried in typically belonging to adult male "warriors" in pre-Roman Samnite culture.
The find was discovered in the town of Pontecagnano Faiano, at a site that had formerly housed a tobacco factory, during ongoing preventive archaeological excavations in the town.
A total of 34 burials dating between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE were discovered, the Superintendency shared, half of which belonged to children between the ages of two and 10.
Other grave goods included spearheads and javalins, buried with the men, a collection of rings and brooches buried with the women, pottery, and ointment containers.
According to the Superintendency, most of the burials in the necropolis were organized by family, with earthen pit style tombs and gabled tile roofs. Three of the burials were different: Two individuals who were buried in limestone (travertine) coffins and one in a coffin made of volcanic rock (tuff).
Excavations at Pontecagnano have taken place since the early 1960s, unearthing over 10,000 tombs from the ninth to third century BCE.
Other finds made in Italy during preventative digs
In Jannuary, two Roman Republic-era tombs were discovered during preventive archaeological excavations ahead of an urban planning program near Via Pietralata on the northeastern side of modern-day Rome.
One of the tombs contained a stone sarcophagus and three cremation urns, while the second contained a male skeleton, which, according to archaeologist Fabrizio Santi, supports the idea that the area was occupied by a wealthy family.
Alongside the two tombs, a shrine believed to be dedicated to the deified Greek hero Hercules, a prominent symbol of protection to the Romans who had been worshiped in the area, was also discovered.