A team of Italian and German archaeologists has uncovered the skeletal remains of a newborn in the ancient Etruscan city of Kainua — today’s Marzabotto, near Bologna — shedding new light on a haunting question: Did the Etruscans practice human sacrifice?
The Etruscans, an ancient civilization that flourished in what is now central Italy during the first millennium BCE, are known to have had a sophisticated culture that deeply influenced Roman society. Yet historical sources — often written by Greek and Roman enemies — long accused them of performing ritual human sacrifices, particularly using prisoners of war, whose entrails priests would read to divine the future. For centuries, however, solid archaeological evidence was lacking.
What the Infant Skeleton Reveals
The skeletal remains, dated to between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, were found near a sacred temple wall dedicated to Uni, the Etruscan goddess of marriage, family, and fertility, and protector of women.
Scientific analyses confirmed that the infant — a local baby boy — had undergone ritual treatment before burial: the bones show clear signs of defleshing, but no dismemberment. The burial context, along with cut marks on some of the long bones, suggests intentional removal of soft tissue — a practice that may have held religious significance.
This discovery, detailed in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, adds new weight to the centuries-old accounts that the Etruscans carried out sacrificial rites, though debate persists among historians.
A Sacred Foundation Offering
The baby’s remains were uncovered in a trench near ritual artifacts: pottery shards inscribed with dedications to the goddess Vei, cross symbols aligned with celestial bodies, and animal bones — all pointing to a ceremonial setting.
Researchers believe the placement indicates a “foundation sacrifice” — a ritual offering to consecrate the temple wall. The fragile skeleton was analyzed through CT scans and radiocarbon dating, confirming that the child was carried to full term (38–40 weeks) and likely died shortly after birth.
Human Sacrifice or Natural Death?
Could the baby have been stillborn and buried as an appeal for divine protection? The team considered this possibility, including the practice of embryotomy — a rare ancient procedure to extract a fetus during complicated labor — but the intact skeleton argues against it.
Ultimately, the match between the archaeological context and the anthropological evidence supports the hypothesis of a ritual sacrifice. The study also draws parallels with other Etruscan finds, such as child burials near defensive walls in Tarquinia and Orvieto, or animal offerings in sacred wells.
Infants as Mediators Between Humans and the Divine
Etruscan temples in Marzabotto (Kainua). Photo: Exif / Wikimedia Commons.
The researchers note that in various ancient Mediterranean cultures, including Greece and Rome, newborns were sometimes buried at transitional sites — near doorways or walls — symbolizing spiritual passage. As infants were not yet fully integrated into society, they were seen as suitable intermediaries with the divine.
Moreover, defleshing may have symbolized beliefs in rebirth, since bones were regarded as seeds of future life.
Caution and Limitations
Despite the compelling evidence, the authors acknowledge the limits of their study. There is no clear sign of fatal violence to prove intentional killing, and more such discoveries are needed to confirm whether this was common practice or an isolated event.
Nonetheless, this fragile skeleton brings us one step closer to understanding the complex, and sometimes grim, rituals of an ancient civilization whose secrets are still emerging from the earth.
