Archaeologists discover 2,500-year-old 'child warrior' graves in southern Italy

The recent report from Archaeology Magazine states that an archaeological site in southern Italy has been discovered, dating back to the Samnite period approximately 2,500 years ago. The excavations undertaken before the construction of new buildings at Pontecagnano Faiano, conducted by the Superintendency of the Archaeological Heritage of Salerno and Avellino, have revealed 34 elite tombs dating to the 4th century B.C. and represent a significant departure from previously held notions about social hierarchy during this period.

In particular, the most remarkable discovery has been the burial of children in large bronze warrior belts. These warrior belts are typically reserved for men and are representative of great warriors living at the time. These child warriors, according to Ancient Origins, indicate children of elite families would likely inherit a noble status in the future, but were not able to realise this due to being deceased; consequently, these lavish funerary deposits suggest that Samnite social stratification was dictated by hereditary lineage and ascribed prestige rather than solely by individual battlefield achievements.

Preventive archaeology in Pontecagnano Faiano

While excavations were taking place, this site of a decommissioned tobacco plant located at Pontecagnano Faiano, in Southern Italy's province of Salerno, was being excavated by the SABAP (Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio) within the context of 'preventative archaeology' - an Italian law for archaeological research on land before construction.

The original site of a tobacco factory is now undergoing a preventative archaeology excavation project. The excavation is being conducted by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts & Landscape of the provinces of Salerno and Avellino -an Italian government agency responsible for protecting and conserving artefacts that are culturally significant to Italy.

The 2,500-year-old child warrior

The ancient Italic people known as the Samnites are now the focus of archaeological excavations that have uncovered 34 elite funerary structures belonging to this large group who lived before the establishment of the Early Roman era. All of these graves are dated to the 4th Century BC. Most of the graves uncovered so far consist of simple ‘fossa’ (trench) graves with tile coverings; however, several of the tombs consist of high-status ‘chamber’ or ‘box’ tombs built using costly materials such as travertine and tufa stone.

Evidence of hereditary social hierarchy

The belts/symbols referred to as the ‘miniature warriors’ indicate that Samnite society practised a form of hereditary nobility by way of belts, which would likely not be earned by virtue of one's merit or through battle. Instead, these belts were placed on infants who were members of elite families, as a marker of their birthright. The belts were symbolic representations of the noble status that the child would have attained if they had lived to adulthood.