"Wenn Kinder sterben..." : Säuglinge und Kleinkinder vom latènezeitlichen Fundplatz Basel-Gasfabrik (Kanton Basel-Stadt, Schweiz)

Abstract

The La Tène site of Basel-Gasfabrik, Switzerland, with its two cemeteries comprising about 170 inhumation burials, has been under investigation for one century. Numerous skeletal remains of subadult individuals were brought to light, both from the cemeteries and the settlement area. Children in the cemeteries, who were sometimes buried in over-large pits, are more frequently furnished with grave goods than adults. The burial of one young girl also contained costume items of a grown woman. There are no sex-specific furnishings for boys. Ceramics found in the graves and those from the settlement differ in size and shape. The anthropological analysis of 31 subadult individuals has revealed that children of all ages, including fetuses, are found in both contexts. The majority of children died before the age of four. Up to now, there are no apparent differences in the health status of children found in the settlement and those from the cemeteries. Fetuses and young children from the settlement area were first identified during zooarchaeological analyses