Dating back to the late Neolithic period outside Mantua, 25 miles south of Verona, the city where Shakespeare set the star-crossed tale ‘Romeo and Juliet’, archaeologists have unearthed two skeletons. They believe that the prehistoric pair is man and a woman buried around 5,000 and 6,000 years ago and is thought to have died young. The skeletons were found locked in an embrace.
Archaeologists believe that skeletons found are of Romeo and Juliet because of the position in which they are found another reason for their belief is that these are found in the place where Shakespeare wrote the world’s most romantic drama (Romeo and Juliet).
The burial site of the couple was located during the construction work for a factory in the outskirts of Mantua. Alongside which flint tools, including arrowheads and a knife were found.
Bondioli, an archaeologist who was not present during Mantua dig, said:
The find has more of an emotional than a scientific value. But it does highlight how the relationship people have with each other and with death has not changed much from the period in which humanity first settled in villages, learning to farm the land and tame animals. The two bodies, which cuddle closely while facing each other on their sides, were probably buried at the same time, an indication of a possible sudden and tragic death.
Elena Menotti, the archaeologist who led the dig, said.
The Neolithic is a very formative period for our society, it was when the roots of our religious sentiment were formed. It was a very emotional discovery; from thousands of years ago we feel the strength of this love. Yes, we must call it love. Experts will now study the artifacts and the skeletons to determine the burial site’s age and how old the two were when they died.
Bondioli said:
DNA testing could determine whether the two were related, but that still leaves other hypotheses; the Romeo and Juliet possibility is just one of many.
Experts will study the aircrafts and the skeletons to determine the age of the burial site and how old the two were when they died. The finds will then be sent on display at Mantua’s Archaeological Museum.
Via: The Age