Grim Discovery in Switzerland: Ancient Roman Buildings Unearth Infant Burials

In a haunting twist of history, archaeologists in Switzerland’s Schürmatt district of Kaiseraugst unearthed a somber snapshot of Ancient Rome during an excavation last May. The dig, prompted by plans for new apartment buildings, revealed a well-preserved slice of Augusta Raurica’s lower town, a Roman settlement from the late first century A.D. But the discovery took a grim turn with the unearthing of multiple infant burials, a stark reminder of the era’s high infant mortality.

The 19,375-square-foot site yielded a Roman road flanked by columned halls, alongside strip houses—elongated buildings with backyards and stone cellars. Some plots surprised researchers with simpler wooden post constructions, hinting at a diverse urban fabric. Yet it was the infant graves, carefully placed in homes and backyards, that spoke loudest, reflecting Roman customs of burying newborns close to family rather than in cemeteries.

Amid the structural finds, treasures emerged: a bronze panther statuette, a tuff stone altar, and a mosaic glass spindle whorl—rare artifacts that dazzle the imagination. Late Roman coins and mysterious stone shafts, possibly latrines or storage pits, added layers of intrigue. This excavation doesn’t just map a lost neighborhood; it humanizes a distant era, exposing both its craftsmanship and its sorrows.