Photos of the skeleton couple quickly circulated throughout the media — and the fact that the Lovers of Valdaro, as they came to be known, were discovered just before Valentine’s Day made the story especially resonant.
For many, the positioning of the bodies called to mind the story of Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers who met an untimely and tragic end. As archaeologists examined the Valdaro Lovers, they made a number of curious discoveries.
Firstly, the couple died around 6,000 years ago during the Neolithic period. Neolithic double burials were a rarity as is, but the couple’s positioning made the discovery all the more unique. Secondly, the young man and woman were each around 20 years of age when they died. There were no indications that their deaths were violent, and their bodies were likely put into position posthumously.
And although it’s impossible to know the true story of who the lovers once were, the image of their bodies locked in eternal embrace and the unique circumstances surrounding the burial has made the Lovers of Valdaro a source of intrigue and speculation for over a decade.
In early February 2007, a team of archaeologists led by Elena Menotti announced that their excavation in the village of Valdaro — near Mantua, Italy — had yielded a remarkable discovery: the skeletons of a man and woman lying face to face, arms and legs entwined.
This unique discovery quickly spread through the media and online as photographs of the skeleton couple were released.
Speaking to The Daily Mail at the time, Menotti expressed her excitement regarding the find, saying, “I have been involved in lots of digs all over Italy, but nothing has excited me as much as this. I’ve been doing this job for 25 years. I’ve done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites. But I’ve never been so moved, because this is the discovery of something truly special.”
The Theories Behind The Lovers Of Valdaro
For many, photographs of the Lovers of Valdaro told a tragic tale reminiscent of Shakespeare’s most famous work — and in fact, in Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is even sent to Mantua after slaying Tybalt Capulet in a duel. When he returns to Verona, he learns of Juliet’s “death,” setting in motion the events that leads to both lovers’ demise.
One early theory surrounding the Valdaro Lovers suggested that the man, the body on the left, had been killed, and that the woman had then been sacrificed so she might accompany his soul in the afterlife.
Initial observations supported this theory. The male skeleton was found with a flint arrowhead in his neck, while the female skeleton had a long stone blade along her thigh and two flint knives beneath her pelvis. However, an osteological examination revealed nothing to suggest their deaths had been violent.
“We have found plenty of women embracing children but never a couple, much less a couple hugging — and they really are hugging,” Menotti said. “From an initial examination they appear young as their teeth are not worn down, but we have sent the remains to a laboratory to establish their age at the time of death.”
Further examination revealed that the couple had been around 20 years old at the time of their deaths, and both around five feet and two inches tall.