Double infant burials occurred at the site of Khok Phanom Di during a phase associated with immigration and some evidence of early agricultural practices. A study of their stratigraphic context and relative ages led to the interpretation that these were twins.
Paper long abstract:
This paper presents an extremely rare finding of at least two and possibly four twin burials from the prehistoric site of Khok Phanom Di in Southeast Thailand (4100-3500 BP). We outline a straightforward biological and archaeological methodological approach for identification of twin (or other multiple birth) burials and a social theoretical framework to interpret twin mortuary treatment. The consideration of these twin burials within a theoretical framework, using bioarchaeological evidence including the infant mortality profile, mortuary ritual and information from cross-cultural ethnographic studies of twinning, advances knowledge of concepts of personhood and social identity (age) of infants in this past population.