Archaeologists working at the ancient city of Tel Azekah in the Judean foothills have uncovered an extraordinary archaeological anomaly, namely a repurposed water cistern used as a mass grave for 68 to 89 infants and small children who died approximately 2,500 years ago.
The results of the research were published in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly in March 2026.Of the children, roughly 90 per cent were younger than five years old, and 70 per cent were less than two years old. This mortuary space was used as a communal burial repository for weaning children over many years throughout the early period of the Persian empire (5th century BCE). In contrast to other instances of death caused by war or disease, evidence suggests that this site has been used in an ongoing manner for burial.
2,500-year-old Cistern reveals remains in Israel
At Tel Azekah, an ancient biblical city situated around 30 kilometres south-west of Jerusalem, archaeologists from Tel Aviv University and Heidelberg University identified some of their remains in a previously reused water system (Cistern 12/F518) found on the lower plateau of the tell. Originally, the site functioned as a water source during the Middle Bronze and Iron Ages, before it was abandoned and used to bury people later in the Persian period.
Evidence of a century-long funerary practice at Tel Azekah
The osteological examinations done by researchers such as Hila May from Tel Aviv University show that almost all of the individuals found in this burial were young children. This group included approximately 68 to 89 individuals, of whom most were younger than five years old at the time of death. The presence of articulated remains (bones still in anatomical position) confirms these were primary burials, while disarticulated remains suggest natural movement over time, likely due to water infiltration within the cistern.
Why were unweaned infants excluded from cemeteries
According to the proposal made in this research, a sociological theory can provide significant insights into the ancient concept of social status. Specifically, the idea suggests that infants who died before weaning were not regarded as independent beings by society, and thus were distinct from the formal adult primary burials typically found in the region’s family tombs. As a result of their inability to attain this milestone, they were instead interred in an area of common burial and repurposed for this function.
This site provides rare insight into the concept of personhood and the rite of passage associated with weaning in the Province of Judah.
Evidence of care in communal burial
The nature of the gravesite can be classified as a ‘mass grave’; nevertheless, the treatment of the children’s burials was still done with care. Excavators were able to recover some small finds from the site, including ceramic vessels from the Persian Period, as well as beaded jewellery, metal rings, pierced ear ornaments, and ceremonial bracelets. Such artefacts provide a date for the burial site to be in the 5th Century BCE, as well as a point of reference that the children buried at this site still possessed personal items and burial offerings, even though the children were not buried in separate graves.
