Washington, July 03: Archaeologists have excavated
a 3,400-year-old burial site in south Vietnam, that they claim
suggests that child mortality in the ancient world was treated
as something very common.
An international team, which carried out the
excavation of the site named An Son, has uncovered the oldest
clear evidence of rice agriculture in the region too.
According to their findings, death in young children
was so common that community members were unlikely to revere
the death of their offspring until they had survived for more
than five years.
"The burial of a new born baby without any associated
grave goods and positioned within discarded kitchen material
may suggest high levels of infant mortality, as well as a
reduced emotional investment in very young children that may
not live long anyway.
"On the other hand, the burial of a 12-year-old child
with high quality ceramics and stone tools might mean children
that survived the danger years -- birth to five years old in
most cases -- could be revered by family or community members
in death," Prof Peter Bellwood of ANU School of Archaeology,
who led the team, said.
In fact, the excavation has also revealed the oldest
clear evidence of rice agriculture in southern Vietnam and
uncovered the varied diets and agricultural practices of the
pre-historic community.
"While this excavation has revealed the earliest clear
evidence of rice agriculture in southern Vietnam, their diets
were extremely broad.
"A wealth of animal bones -- some probably
domesticated -- attest to the dietary breadth of these early
Vietnamese, including species of cattle, pig, deer, freshwater
crocodile, shellfish and reptile and amphibian remains.
"We also found a large number of stone adzes, many
shouldered to accommodate long-since rotted wooden handles.
That suggests a significant amount of forest clearance was
occurring, presumably to increase the area of cultivatable
land," team member Dr Marc Oxenham said.
The excavation team has also found a large quantity
of pottery from humble cooking vessels to massive, ornately-
incised and patterned ceramics.
Bureau Report