P.J.
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by Jason Urbanus
A rare double burial in Italy evokes romantic images and a line or two from Romeo and Juliet.
Excavations near Mantua, Italy, revealed the remains of a young man and woman buried in an embrace more than 5,000 years ago. (Pasquale Sorrentino)
Archaeologists were suddenly quoting lines from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Digging in the Italian village of Valdaro--near the city of Mantua, a setting for the famous Elizabethan tragedy--they uncovered a startling double burial. Dubbed the "Lovers of Valdaro" by the media, the pair were huddled close together, face to face, their arms and legs entwined, seemingly in an eternal embrace.
The burial, which dates to the Neolithic period (5000-4000 B.C.), caused an immediate stir among its discoverers.
"I am so thrilled at this find," says archaeologist Elena Maria Menotti, who led the excavation. "I have been involved in lots of digs all over Italy, but nothing has excited me as much as this. I've never been so moved, because this is the discovery of something special."
Although it is not the only Neolithic burial to contain more than one person, double burials are rare, and the pose and the positioning of this couple are unique. After an initial examination of the bones, experts determined that the man and woman were no more than 20 years old, and both around 5 feet, 2 inches tall.
Eternal Embrace - Archaeology Magazine Archive
A rare double burial in Italy evokes romantic images and a line or two from Romeo and Juliet.
Excavations near Mantua, Italy, revealed the remains of a young man and woman buried in an embrace more than 5,000 years ago. (Pasquale Sorrentino)
Archaeologists were suddenly quoting lines from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Digging in the Italian village of Valdaro--near the city of Mantua, a setting for the famous Elizabethan tragedy--they uncovered a startling double burial. Dubbed the "Lovers of Valdaro" by the media, the pair were huddled close together, face to face, their arms and legs entwined, seemingly in an eternal embrace.
The burial, which dates to the Neolithic period (5000-4000 B.C.), caused an immediate stir among its discoverers.
"I am so thrilled at this find," says archaeologist Elena Maria Menotti, who led the excavation. "I have been involved in lots of digs all over Italy, but nothing has excited me as much as this. I've never been so moved, because this is the discovery of something special."
Although it is not the only Neolithic burial to contain more than one person, double burials are rare, and the pose and the positioning of this couple are unique. After an initial examination of the bones, experts determined that the man and woman were no more than 20 years old, and both around 5 feet, 2 inches tall.
Eternal Embrace - Archaeology Magazine Archive
