Photos of the ancient Romeo and Juliet skeleton

SHARE:

Photos of the ancient Romeo and Juliet skeleton
mongabay
February 7, 2007

Archaeologists unearthed a pair of human skeletons lying in an eternal embrace at a construction site outside Mantua, 25 miles south of Verona, the city featured in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The skeletons date are thought to be 5,000-6,000 years ago.

Elena Menotti, the archaeologist who led the team on the dig, told the Associated Press that it was the first time a Neolithic couple had been found in such a position.

Image courtesy of the Archaeological Society SAP in Mantua, northern Italy

"As far as we know, it's unique," Menotti is quoted by The Associated Press as saying. "Double burials from the Neolithic are unheard of, and these are even hugging."

Tooth records indicate the male-female couple was young at the time of death, but it is unclear as to the nature of their relationship.

The annoucement came just a week before Valentine's Day.