Gazing affectionately for 6000 years, the archaeological discovery of Valdalo's lover triggers Romeo Juliet's you and I have the same misfortune!
I want to bury you in a joyous grave.
Is this a grave? Oh no! ——This is a bright skylight.
Because Juliet is sleeping in it, her brilliance is like a beautiful feast,
Illuminate this grave with magnificent glory.
Die, just lie here, now you are buried by the dead.
Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet"
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| Valdalo's lover |
The hero and heroine of Shakespeare’s tragedy?
Pictured above is an archaeological discovery in Valdalo village outside Mantua in February 2007. A pair of Neolithic corpses were buried together, embracing each other and looking at each other affectionately. They were named "Valdalo Lovers"It has become an important cultural relic discovery in the area.
Since Mantua near this place is where Romeo was exiled in Shakespeare's classic tragedy, this discovery not only attracted the attention of archaeologists all over the world but also inspired the imagination of many romantics.
Mantua is a city in northern Lombardy, close to Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s plays. In his story, Romeo escaped from Mantua and was overwhelmed by the news of Juliet's death. This surprising coincidence makes people think that the bones found in Valdaro resemble Romeo and Juliet, a well-known martyred couple.
Since there is no record of the custom of burial together in this area, and it is so amazing that two people are buried in a way that seems to be embracing, this discovery made the headlines around the world in 2007, especially coincidentally when the bones were discovered. It's not far from Valentine's Day on February 14.
In September 2011, Valdaro’s lovers made a short public display for the first time at the entrance of the Archaeological Museum of Mantua. A local association called "Lovers" is seeking a permanent home for the two bones. After thorough research, today, 13 years later, the two are still hugging each other tightly, showing the world that they are deeply rooted in love. They are still facing each other like days and nights for 6000 years, with their arms and legs entwined in one place. , It seems that I will embrace it forever.
But archaeologists quickly overturned this romantic association, mainly because the time was not right.
Neolithic remains
After carbon testing, it was found that the two young lovers had been buried for about 6000 years. Through further research on the remains, archaeologists identified their age at about 20, because their teeth were intact. Although the real cause of his death may not be known, the inspection did not reveal any signs of violence.
The archaeologist Elena Maria Menotti led the excavation of them, and she confessed that she was excited about the discovery. Although this is not the only single-person burial found in the Neolithic Age, two-person burials are rare, and the couple's posture and positioning are particularly unique.
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Elena-Maria-Menotti  |
Archaeological research has once again broken people's romantic imagination. The shape in the cemetery also means that they did not die in embraces, such as hugging each other on a cold night to keep warm but were deliberately placed in such a posture after death. Although during archaeological research, the normal excavation of tombs requires recording and removing every bone for research, the "lovers" have never been separated, and archaeologists have carefully maintained their integrity.
The cold they rested on was also lifted from the ground, placed in a yellow wooden box, and sent as a whole to an archaeological laboratory in the Civic Museum of Como. Although their relationship has never been confirmed, almost everyone does not seem to want to see them separate. In the laboratory, these remains were subjected to various forms of analysis, DNA testing, three-dimensional laser scanning, and X-rays. Archaeologists hope to learn more about the relationship between the two people, their cause of death, and how they lived. For more details.
While waiting for the results of the bones, archaeologists carried out further excavations, but no signs of Neolithic settlements have been found in Valdaro. According to research, in ancient times, the nearby rivers crisscrossed the area, making it an ideal place for hunting, fishing, and farming from a geographical point of view. The Valdarro in the Neolithic Age was originally a very developed tribe and had close ties with the neighboring population. It was easy to integrate into the important trade routes of the region.
As for the "lovers", archaeologists may never be able to determine their exact relationship or cause of death, but this does not prevent them from becoming one of the most striking discoveries in Neolithic archaeology. Regardless of the science, those who pursue romance, will always embrace each other and become a symbol of eternal love, destined to echo the lovers in Shakespeare's writings.
unsolved puzzlesociation
Romance aside, there are still countless puzzles to be solved for this pair of bones. Are they martyred? Or is it an evil ritual of human sacrifice? They were buried together from north to south. This is also a problem. When a corpse is buried in the east-west direction, it may be along the path of the sun through the sky, and the stone age lovers were buried in the wrong way. ".
Another expert on Neolithic remains said that Stone Age lovers are difficult to explain with known historical data. Almost all tombs in the Neolithic Age were single burials. Although there have been several large-scale funerals, there are also examples of human heads found under the house. However, about one tomb in every twenty or thirty sites is completely unique, and the objects they burial maybe some kind of strange ritual utensils. However, unless scientists conduct more in-depth research on these bones or obtain more peripheral evidence, all theories will be difficult to prove. But maybe this couple is indeed like Romeo and Juliet because they are banned by all their family and friends. They feel that if they can't live together, they can die for love. The storyteller thinks that perhaps as an old adage, "all good things will end, but all bad things cannot last forever." If there is no sorrow to balance, the word happiness will lose its meaning. Maybe we should believe in love.
