Ice Age Infants Found in Alaska Surrounded by Weapons

The remains of two Ice Age babies that died some 11,000 years ago were found by researchers in Alaska with "unprecedented" grave offerings.

The babies are the youngest human remains ever discovered in North America, and provide researchers important information on funeral practices among inhabitants at the time, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks were able to examine the dental and skeletal remains of the two babies, which allowed them to figure out that one was just a few weeks older than the other. The other baby died in utero.

The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was conducted by lead author Ben Potter. Potter, along with his archaeological team, were able to unearth the remains at the end of 2013 at the Upward Sun River site, near the Tanana River, according to the study.

Previously, the cremated remains of a three-year-old child were discovered at the site.

The two children were found in a burial pit approximately 15 inches below the residential hearth where the toddler had been found. Both sets of remains date back about 11,500 years ago, which suggests a short time period between the burial and cremation.

The researchers believe all three could have been undertaken during a single session.

"Taken collectively, these burials and cremation reflect complex behaviors related to death among the early inhabitants of North America," Potter said, according to SmithsonianMag.com.

The archaeologists also found "unprecedented grave offerings" with the two infants, including shaped stones and antler foreshafts decorated with incised lines.

The discovery could lead to new thinking about the structure of early societies, their view of death rituals, the challenges they faced and how they treated the youngest members of the group.

"The presence of hafted points may reflect the importance of hunting implements in the burial ceremony and with the population as whole," the authors wrote in the study.

"The deaths occurred during the summer, a time period when regional resource abundance and diversity was high and nutritional stress should be low, suggesting higher levels of mortality than may be expected give our current understanding (of survival strategies at the time,)" the researchers added.