The 6,000-year-old Lovers of Valdaro discovered in a Neolithic tomb

Discovered in a Neolithic tomb in Italy, the Lovers of Valdaro are a pair of skeletons that have been holding each other for 6,000 years.

In 2007, a team of archaeologists discovered a tomb near Mantua in the region of Lombardy, Italy. Inside, they found a pair of skeletons lying face to face, their bodies intertwined as if holding each other in a “lovers’ embrace.”

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.