14 DAY TRIAL // Not too long ago, researchers in Greece came across the skeletal remains of a man and a woman who lived in ancient times and who, following their death, were laid to rest in the same tomb.
Although the scientific community is no stranger to millennia-old couples buried next to each other, these lovers in Greece are quite fascinating in that they were placed in the ground spooning and with their legs intertwined.
“There have only been a couple of prehistoric examples of this behavior around the world, but even when couples are buried together, they're beside each other and not typically touching,” says archaeologist Michael Galaty.
The couple's life and death are a mystery
Specialists who have had the chance to examine the spooning skeletons estimate that the couple lived and died around 3,800 BC, which makes their remains nearly 6,000 years old.
Since they were buried together, they must have died at about the same time. However, it is unclear whether the man or the woman was the first to pass away. Besides, the cause of death has not yet been discovered.
Interestingly, this millennia-old couple is said to be the only one to have until now been found buried in such an intimate position in Greece. This just adds to the mystery surrounding their life and death.
“This is unique in Greece, and we're analyzing the skeletons and bones to find out more about what was going on, how they died and why they may have been placed there,” explains Mississippi State University specialist Michael Galaty.
The couple was buried close to an ancient house
The archaeologists who unearthed the spooning couple found them buried on a rocky promontory that sits close to Greece's Mediterranean coast and that goes by the name of Ksagounaki, Newswise informs.
The skeletons were discovered not far from the remains of a house also estimated to date back to about 6,000 years ago. It is believed the couple owned this house and their descendants buried them close to it so that they could prove they had a claim to the land.
The couple's burial place is located close to Greece's Alepotrypa Cave, which archaeologists say our ancestors used as a shelter between 5,000 and 3,000 BC, and that counts as one of the absolute largest and most complex ancient settlements thus far identified in southern Europe.
