Emily Chan
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.
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