Romans killed their newborn girls? A discovery highlights the mystery '' barbaric practice '

Foto:themysteryvault.com/Wikimedia 

Scientists say that the results we have obtained can help to analyze the skeletons of different periods of Roman.

According to some historians, the skeletal remains of children found in ancient tombs in different areas of the UK, suggests that the Romans practiced infanticide. Recently, researchers have shown, however, that the bones belong to stillbirths identified and buried by their families in accordance with the customs of that time.

So far, Some argue that the Romans killed their children in an attempt to have more boys than girls. However, a team led by researchers from the Natural History Museum, Museum of London and Durham University have shown that infaticide was not a practice widespread in the Roman province of Britannia, and most of the remains of children found belonged to individuals born dead.

Distinguishing ,, stillbirths remains from those of children born alive is important for archaeologists to study the health of populations in the past and understand how they pertained to cases where children died, "says Dr. Thomas Booth, one of the study coordinators conducted by British experts.

In their research, experts analyzed the skeletons of 10 children buried in Roman cemeteries near London. With the help of the X-ray microtomografiei, researchers were able to study the material composition osteological and found that the biggest part of it was unaffected by bioeroziune process during which the bacteria in the intestines begin to cause bone deterioration immediately after the body dies. In this way, scientists have learned that the bones belonged to stillbirths.

,, The ability to differentiate stillbirths remains from those of children born alive, without affecting the skeletons analyzed, will have a profound impact on the study of past human life, "added Thomas Booth.

Now researchers hope that further studies will be done to improve the knowledge we have so far about how people lived in Britannia.


,, Now we can apply the results of this research to study the skeletons of different periods of Roman, to investigate the risks of death and find out how they are related to the changes undergone by London, "says Dr. Rebecca Redfern, another coordinator of the study.

Other articles on the same theme:

• Top 10 - atrocities committed in the name of religion including Forced Conversion to Islam, Aztec sacrifices, Inquisition or Roman persecutions

• From Greek and Roman times to the present day: A brief history of the English rose

• Four great principles of Athenian democracy that modern democracies have not mastered

• How hard it was to become a Spartan soldier. Five of the most demanding practices they faced new recruits

source: Mail Online