Scientists Discovered a 5000 Year-Old Couple

Two 5,000-year-old skeletons locked in an embrace were unearthed in the northern Italian city of Mantua (Mantova). The Neolithic-era skeletons are believed to have been buried between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago. The bones, which cuddled closely, were facing each other on their sides. The burial site was unearthed during construction work for a factory building.

It is believed that the skeletons belonged to a young couple because their teeth were found intact. It was also presumed that the couple died during the Stone Age because the remains were found together with an arrowhead and flint tools. The exact nature of their relationship is yet to be ascertained. DNA testing could determine if the two were related. The tools along with the earth the two were buried in are set to be analyzed to determine the presence of flower or plant remains that might have adorned the bodies.

Instead of having the bones removed singly for reassembly later, the entire section of the earth in which the couple was buried in was sliced away. Further examinations are now being done to determine the gender and age. The skeletons will also be checked for signs of illness and possible causes of death.

New evidence suggests the two skeletons were not alone and may have been left near a Stone Age settlement. Photographs showing another skeleton found nearby indicated the couple was in some sort of a prehistoric burial site. An initial examination on the skeletons also showed that the man (on the left side) has an arrow in his spinal column while the woman has an arrow head in her side.

Experts say the singularity of the find make it difficult for them to explain the Stone Age couple using known historic information. In the Neolithic era, double burials were previously unknown. Besides, single burials were always east-west, believed to follow the sun's daily path across the sky. Archaeologists say the couple were buried the wrong way, but they were not sure why. During the Neolithic period, there were cases when the wife would be sacrificed when her husband died and was buried with him. But initial evaluation of the latest find did not yield such evidence.

Because the unique discovery has become a subject of world newspaper headlines and chat shows, extra security had to be hired to guard the rural site outside the northern city of Mantua. This is in anticipation of looters and vandals.

The archaeological find is dubbed the "Lovers of Valdaro" after the Mantua suburb of farmland and factories where the skeletons were found. The location where the artifact was extracted is located 25 miles south of Verona, the city where English poet Shakespeare set the story of the star-crossed couple Romeo and Juliet. The area around Mantua five thousand years ago was marshland and was crisscrossed by rivers. It is believed that the environment has helped in preserving the skeletons in their almost-perfect condition.

The skeletons were discovered in a region rich in Neolithic treasures. Some 30 single burial sites were previously found. The discovery site also yielded remains of prosperous villages found to possess artifacts made of pottery, flint and animal horns.