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.