The Embracing Skeletons of Alepotrypa are a pair of human skeletons dated as approximately 5,800 years old. They were discovered by archaeologists in the Alepotrypa cave in Laconia, Greece, home to a human settlement in the Neolithic age between 6,000 B.C. and 3,200 B.C. [1] DNA analysis confirmed that the remains belong to a man and woman who died when they were 20 to 25 years of age. [2] [3] [4]
The prehistoric skeletons died in a lover’s embrace with the man lying behind the woman, draping his arms over her, and with their legs intertwined. [5] [6] [7]
They're totally spooning, The boy is the big spoon, and the girl is the little spoon: Their arms are draped over each other, their legs are intertwined. It's unmistakable.
- —Bill Parkinson, associate curator of Eurasian anthropology at Chicago's Field Museum [2]
Greek archaeologist Anastasia Papathanasiou said about the couple's pose, "It's a very natural hug; it doesn't look like they were arranged in this posture at a much later date." [2] The cause of death of the two individuals is currently unknown.
The archaeology of Israel is the study of the archaeology of the present-day Israel, stretching from prehistory through three millennia of documented history. The ancient Land of Israel was a geographical bridge between the political and cultural centers of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
The year 1978 in archaeology involved some significant events.
Anemospilia is the archaeological site of an ancient Minoan temple on Crete.
The Lovers of Valdaro, or Valdaro Lovers, are a pair of human skeletons dated as approximately 6,000 years old. They were discovered by archaeologists at a Neolithic tomb in San Giorgio near Mantua, Italy, in 2007. The two individuals were buried face to face with their arms around each other, in a position reminiscent of a "lovers' embrace".
The year 2007 in archaeology
Paglicci Cave is an archaeological site situated in Paglicci, near Rignano Garganico, Apulia, southern Italy. The cave, discovered in the 1950s, is the most important cave of Gargano. The cave is an attraction of the Gargano National Park.
The year 2009 in archaeology
Archaeology in Armenia has revealed many significant historical findings. Armenia is rich in Bronze Age sites and several Stone Age sites were recently identified on the slopes of the Aragats Mountain and are currently being excavated by Armenian and international teams. Archaeological excavations have taken place in the territory which is now the Republic of Armenia for about 150 years. Many sites, ranging from Stone Age to Early Iron Age, have been discovered and at least partly excavated. For the preservation and reconstruction of archaeological sites in Armenia, suggestions, and solutions have been proposed by L. Kirakosyan from National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia.
High Pasture Cave is an archaeological site on the island of Skye, Scotland. Human presence is documented since the Mesolithic, and remains, including Iron Age structures, point to ritual veneration of either the landscape or deities associated with the place. The cave system extends to about 320 metres of accessible passages
The Hasanlu Lovers are a pair of human remains found at the Teppe Hasanlu archaeological site, located in the Naqadeh in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Around 800 BCE, the city of Hasanlu, located in north-western Iran, was destroyed by an unknown invader. Inhabitants were slain and left where they fell. In 1973, the lovers were discovered by a team of archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania led by Robert H. Dyson.
The Alepotrypa Cave is an archaeological site in the Mani region of the Peloponnese peninsula. In addition to being inhabited by early farmers, this site was used for burial and cult purposes. Archaeological evidence has revealed that this is one of the largest Neolithic burial sites ever found in Europe. Two adult human skeletons were found at the site from a burial dating to the 4th millennium BC, as well as remains from at least 170 separate persons. Archaeologists are uncertain about the significance of a Mycenaen ossuary, which has been dated to the 2nd millennium BC and appears to have been reburied at Alepotrypa. While there is no direct evidence, it is possible that the ossuary may link Alepotrypa to Tainaron, which was regarded as the entrance to Hades in classical mythology.
Cave of Horror is the nickname given to what archaeologists have catalogued as Nahal Hever Cave 8 (8Hev) of the Judaean Desert, Israel, where the remains of Jewish refugees from the Bar Kokhba revolt were found.
Qafzeh Cave, also known by other names, is a prehistoric archaeological site located at the bottom of Mount Precipice in the Jezreel Valley of Lower Galilee south of Nazareth. Important remains of prehistoric people were discovered on the site - some of the oldest examples in the world, outside of Africa, of virtually anatomically modern human beings. These were discovered on the ledge just outside the cave, where 18 layers from the Middle Paleolithic era were identified. The interior of the cave contains layers ranging from the Neolithic era to the Bronze Age.
This page lists major archaeological events of 2018.
This page lists major events of 2019 in archaeology.
The Lovers of Cluj-Napoca are a pair of human skeletons discovered in 2013 by archaeologists in the cemetery of a former Dominican convent in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The couple are believed to have lived between 1450 and 1550 – between the year the convent was established and the year the graveyard was secularised. Analysis by archaeologists confirmed that the skeletons belong to a man and a woman around 30 years of age. The couple were buried facing each other, and with their hands interlocked.
This page lists major events of 2020 in archaeology.
This page lists major events of 2021 in archaeology.
The Lovers of Modena are a pair of human skeletons discovered in 2009 by archaeologists in present-day Modena, Italy. The two skeletons were buried with their hands interlocked and are believed to have been buried between the 4th and 6th century CE. Originally it was assumed that the two were composed of a male and a female, but upon scientific analysis of enamel peptides by the University of Bologna it was confirmed that the skeletons belong to two males. The pair are now on display at the Civic Museum of Modena.
This page lists significant events of 2022 in archaeology.