In The Fayum Oasis’ Necropolis, Archaeologists Discovered The Graves Of An Eight-year-old Child And 142 Dogs.
Archaeologists have found the burial of an eight-year-old child and 142 dogs in the necropolis of the Fayum oasis in Egypt, according to the website of the Center for Egyptological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“A teenager of eight to nine years old was laid on top of the bodies of 142 dogs of different ages, mostly puppies (87 percent),” the publication specifies.
The burial belongs to the Roman period and dates from the 1st century BC – the 1st century AD.
Previously, only one case of the burial of a child with dogs was known – “on the territory of the elite necropolis of Hierakonpolis (HK6)”, they say in the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Burials like those discovered by the Center’s specialists are not typical for Egypt. The mass burial of dogs may indicate a synthesis of religious and magical ideas of the Egyptians and foreigners living in Fayum, which gave rise to new forms of ritual practice,” the publication says.
The case was also reported by Heritage Daily. The publication states that the remains of the animals were examined by zoologist Galina Belova. In her opinion, they died at the same time. There are no signs of violence against them.
Blue clay can be found on the bodies of dogs; it was common in ancient Egyptian reservoirs.Perhaps there was a flood and the animals drowned, the article says.
“Why a child is in the grave is a mystery,” the media write. Perhaps he looked after the dogs. confused scientists, and the fact that the baby had a linen bag on his head.
Earlier, archaeologists found a grave in which a similar bag was also on the head of the deceased. But the person buried in it was, most likely, executed. He had an arrow in the heart, Heritage Daily clarifies.
