TEHRAN -- A total of 52 skeletons were discovered by a joint Italian-Iranian archaeological team in the 5200-year-old Burnt City.

The discoveries were made at the cemetery of the city during the 12th season of excavation that began in late December 2008.
The team led by Iranian archaeologist Mansur Sajjadi completed this season’s studies last week.
Twelve of the skeletons belong to children and a skeleton of a newborn is among the discoveries, anthropologist of the team Farzad Foruzanfar told the Persian service of CHN on Sunday.
A large number of the graves excavated during previous seasons belong to children, said Foruzanfar, adding, “Infectious diseases are the main reason for the large number of children.”
Three women and four men who died sometime between the ages of 45 and 60 are among the skeletons.
These skeletons determine life expectancy in the Burnt City, Foruzanfar noted.
The Burnt City is located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province.