A Neolithic Tomb Was Discovered In Italy, And Inside, A 6,000-Year-Old Couple Was Found Locked In An Embrace

In 2007, a group of archaeologists discovered a Neolithic tomb near Mantua, Italy. Inside, they found a pair of male and female skeletons lying side by side, facing each other.
Their bodies were intertwined as if they were locked in an embrace when they died. They came to be known as the “Lovers of Valdaro,” and the fact that they were found just before Valentine’s Day made their story all the more moving.
The team of archaeologists who carried out the excavations in the village of Valdaro was led by Elena Menotti.
After analyzing the remains in the tomb, they concluded that the couple died around 6,000 years ago during the Neolithic period.
In that era, double burials were uncommon, but the positioning of the bodies made the discovery even more out of the ordinary.
The lovers were each around 20-years-old and five feet and two inches tall when they met their ends.
There were no signs that their deaths had been violent, and their bodies were most likely arranged into an embrace after they died. As photographs of the couple were released, theories regarding their demise spread like wildfire.
One idea suggests that the man, the skeleton on the left, had been killed. Then, the woman was sacrificed so she could follow him into the afterlife.
Several pieces of evidence supported the theory. For instance, a flint arrowhead was found in the male skeleton’s neck.

SirDiegoSama – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Additionally, the female skeleton had a long stone blade along her thigh and two flint knives underneath her pelvic area. However, an examination of the bones could find nothing to indicate that their deaths had been violent.
According to Menotti, burials with individuals embracing each other have been uncovered before, such as women hugging children.
But, a burial containing a romantic couple was unique. Historians also have not been able to find any evidence of a Neolithic settlement in Valdaro. In fact, the area was probably covered in marshland that was interrupted by some rivers.
In order to remove the Valdaro lovers for study, archaeologists cut out the entire plot of earth where the couple was buried so they could avoid separating them from each other. The specimens were then sent to a laboratory at the Musei Civici in Como.
The skeleton couple is currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Mantua.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News