A new study has identified what may be the first infant burial ever recorded at a Roman military camp in Iberia. The research, led by Marta Fernández-Viejo of the University of Burgos and the University of León, was published in Childhood in the Past.
The team examined remains discovered in León, Spain, at the castrum of Legio VI Victrix, one of the earliest Roman camps in the region. The site was excavated in 2006 during emergency digs at the sacristy of the Siervas de Jesús convent and along Francisco Regueral Street.
A strategic Roman outpost with an infant burial
Legio VI Victrix was founded by Augustus in 41 BC and deployed to Hispania Tarraconensis in 29 BC. Its camp was strategically located near the confluence of the Bernesga and Torío rivers, guarding critical passes through the Asturian Mountains.
During the excavation of Sector 1, archaeologists uncovered a perinatal burial beneath the floor of a contubernium workshop—a small workspace used by a group of eight soldiers who lived and worked closely together. The infant, placed near a doorway, had been interred inside a tegula, a type of Roman roof tile.
This placement is unusual, as Roman perinatal burials were typically found in domestic spaces or cemeteries, making the León case a rare example of a burial within a military workspace.
An unusual military context
Using tegulae for perinatal burials was common in Roman funerary tradition. Such interments, however, were usually found in domestic spaces or cemeteries.
Some examples have been documented in military provinces such as Britannia, though these were generally outside forts, villas, or surrounding settlements known as canabae.
The León burial is unique because of its placement within a military workshop, a space connected to the daily activities of lower-ranking soldiers.
Analysis of Roman military camp’s infant burial
The team analyzed the skeleton to estimate age and development. Although no teeth were found, measurements of the femur placed the infant at about 38 to 42 weeks of gestational age.
Yet several bones, including parts of the skull and pelvis, showed incomplete development for that stage. Researchers suggest these points are related to poor nutrition, illness, or stress during pregnancy.
No signs of external trauma were observed, making infanticide unlikely. Still, the team cautions that deaths from smothering, drowning, or exposure would not leave marks on the bones. Radiocarbon dating places the burial between 47 BC and 61 AD.
Law and lived reality
This timeframe overlaps with Augustan reforms that barred soldiers from marrying during service under the Lex Julia et Papia, effectively banning wives and children from military camps. In practice, however, archaeological evidence from sites such as Vindolanda and Birdoswald in Britannia shows that women and children often lived alongside soldiers.
Illustration of an ancient Iberian funeral.
"The Iberian culture had a belief in life after death and their funeral ritual was cremation. The corpse's ashes were placed in a ceramic urn around his weapons and personal belongings in a pit." pic.twitter.com/qM6sAk7aAm
— Nrken19 (@nrken19) March 10, 2023
Fernández-Viejo said artifacts linked to families—including footwear and personal items—support the theory that the burial reflects a transitional period when older customs persisted despite newer legal restrictions.
Ritual and meaning of infant burial at Roman camp
The burial’s placement may also reflect Roman beliefs about the spirits of those who died at or shortly after birth. Such souls were thought to wield unusual influence over the living. Placing the infant beneath a doorway may have been intended to protect the workshop and ensure the success of the soldiers’ work.
Foundation burials—animal or human remains deposited at thresholds to sanctify buildings—were common in the Roman world. The León case may represent this practice, blending spiritual protection with the routines of military life.
A rare window into frontier life
The discovery challenges the notion that Roman military camps were strictly separate from domestic and religious spheres. It also suggests that, despite legal reforms, women and children may still have been present in these spaces, at least during early transitional phases.
The infant burial offers new insight into how family, ritual, and military life intersected at the frontiers of the Roman Empire.
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