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Swedish archaeologists have recovered seven tombs of Viking adults and infants from the 10th century who likely converted to Christianity prior to their death.
The tombs – which hold the remains of four adults and four infants – were found in the Swedish town of Sigtuna, just north of Stockholm.
Two of the infants that were buried together may have been twins and were possibly miscarried, according to the researchers.
Their cause of death is currently unknown, but the experts hope to reveal more in scientific paper yet to be published.
The eight people - four adults and four infants - were laid flat on their backs to rest in the Swedish town of Sigtuna
In Sigtuna north of Stockholm, archaeologists are conducting a survey of some of the 'Christian graveyard' from the late Viking age
The excavations have been led by Uppdrag Arkeologi, a Swedish archaeological company based in Stockholm.
'The Christian character of the now-excavated graves is obvious because of how the tombs were laid out,' Johan Runer, a project manager with Uppdrag arkeologi, told Live Science.
'In one tomb, there were two very small infants of seemingly the exact same age,' he said, which may be 'the tragic result of a late miscarriage of a couple of twins'.
Uppdrag Arkeologi said on its Facebook page that the Christian graveyard dates prior to the construction of churches with associated cemeteries in the region.
