An ancient cemetery where fifty children were buried was excavated in Turkey (photo)

During archaeological excavations in the Kulp district of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey, a cemetery was found where 54 children aged 0 to 6 were buried.

The excavations, which began by the Diyarbakir Museum Directorate in 2021, are being continued by a team of 35 people, 15 of whom are experts. After the discovery of the remains of a 1,500-year-old church last year, excavations began in what is believed to be an ancient quarry, Arkeonews reports.

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The teams that stumbled upon the children's graves during the excavations have intensified their efforts in the area.

"So far, we have found 50 graves during the excavations here. Today we have reached 4 more graves. The excavation process is ongoing. Therefore, we know that there are 54 graves in total. This is a very interesting result for us," said Muyydat Gizligol, acting director of the Diyarbakir Museum.

He added that it is likely that after this place was used as a quarry, it was turned into a necropolis, and only children were buried here.

Gizligol also noted that some graves contain more than one child.

"A limestone pit was formed around the graves, which was covered with limestone. The graves are located in an east-west direction, there is no random burial," he said.

Dr. Nazli Akbash, a researcher and anthropologist at the Institute of Social Sciences at Gaziantep University, also recalled that the ruins of the church were found during previous excavations in the area.

She said that the church dates back to the early Byzantine period and is approximately 1500 years old.

"Since there was a culture of 'saints' and 'martyrs' in early Byzantium, churches could be used for burials in settlements. In this area, which we call the quarry, only the graves of infants and children aged 0 to 6 years were found," Akbash said.

She added that, based on preliminary examination, they do not believe that the babies and children died due to any epidemic.

"We believe that the burial of infants in the area is related to the baptismal culture of Christianity in the early Byzantine period. In the early Christian period, those who were baptized were usually adults. After the 10th century, the baptism of children became legal. We think that they belong to the early Christian period. Therefore, babies and children who were not baptized are not yet Christians. Since he was not baptized, we are considering burying him outside the church, not in it," Akbash said.

Researchers continue to study the cemetery to learn more about its history and significance.

As a reminder, an ancient 5000-year-old drawing was found in the Sahara Desert.

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