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. [1] 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. [2] The pair are now on display at the Civic Museum of Modena.
The relation of the two males is unknown, but one of the researchers from the University of Bologna, Federico Lugli, suggested that rather than lovers they could have been brothers, cousins, or soldiers; he is quoted as saying in Italian, "The burial of two men hand in hand was certainly not a common practice in late antiquity... In late ancient times it is unlikely that a homosexual love could be recognized so clearly by the people who prepared the burial... Given that the two individuals are of similar ages, they could be relatives -- for example, brothers or cousins, or soldiers who died together in battle: the necropolis where they were found could be a war cemetery”. [3]
Mantua is a comune (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the province of the same name.
The House of Este is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries.
Laura Maria Caterina Bassi Veratti was an Italian physicist and academic. Recognized and depicted as "Minerva", she was the first woman to have a doctorate in science, and the second woman in the world to earn the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Working at the University of Bologna, she was the first salaried female teacher in a university. At one time the highest paid employee of the university, by the end of her life Bassi held two other professorships. She was also the first female member of any scientific establishment, when she was elected to the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna in 1732 at 21.
Franco Fontana is an Italian photographer. He is best known for his abstract colour landscapes.
The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronius, who was the bishop of Bologna in the fifth century. Construction began in 1390 and its main facade has remained unfinished since. The building was transferred from the city to the diocese in 1929; the basilica was finally consecrated in 1954. It has been the seat of the relics of Bologna's patron saint only since 2000; until then they were preserved in the Santo Stefano church of Bologna.
The Battle of Zappolino, the only battle of the War of the Oaken Bucket, was fought in November 1325 between forces representing the Italian towns of Bologna and Modena, an incident in the series of raids and reprisals between the two cities that were part of the larger conflicts of Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Modenese were victorious. Though many clashes between Guelphs and Ghibellines loomed larger to contemporaries than to historians, the unusually-large encounter involved 4,000 estimated cavalry and some 35,000 foot soldiers, and 2,000 men lost their lives. The location of the battle, at the foot of a hill just outside the castle walls, is now a frazione of the municipality of Castello di Serravalle, Emilia-Romagna.
Margherita Barbara Gonzaga, was an Italian noblewoman, Duchess consort of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio between 1579 and 1597 by marriage to Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio. She was a significant cultural patron in Ferrara and Modena.
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 Terracotta Dog is a 1996 novel by Andrea Camilleri, translated into English in 2002 by Stephen Sartarelli.
The War of the Bucket or the War of the Oaken Bucket was fought in 1325 between the rival city-states of Bologna and Modena. It took place in the region of Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. The war was an episode in the over 300-year-long struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines. Modena won the Battle of Zappolino, the only battle of the war.
Prince Eugene Jean of Savoy was the last Count of Soissons and by birth a member of the House of Savoy.
The Derby dell'Emilia, is the name given in football to any match between Bologna F.C. 1909 and Parma Calcio 1913 Emilia is a region that approximately corresponds to the western and north-eastern portions of today's Emilia-Romagna. The region takes its name from the Via Aemilia, a Roman road in 187 BCE. It is contested twice a year when the two clubs participate in the same league competition, such as Serie A, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions. Other matches between Emilian teams may also be referred to under the name Derby dell'Emilia. From the 2018–19 edition, with the return of Parma in Serie A three years after bankruptcy, the Derby dell'Emilia was played until the 2020-21 season, when Parma was relegated. In the 2024-25 season, after the return of Parma in Serie A, the match will be scheduled after three years of absence.
Cornelio Malvasia, Marquis di Bismantova was an Italian aristocrat, patron of astronomy and military leader.
Federico Visconti (1617–1693) was an Italian Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan from 1681 to 1693.
Giovanni Zanardi was an Italian painter of quadratura during the late Baroque period.
Stefano Bonaccini is an Italian politician and member of the Democratic Party (PD), of which he is serving as president since 12 March 2023. In 2024, he was elected to the European Parliament to represent North-East Italy.
Giovanni Remo Fornasini was an Italian Roman Catholic priest, resistance member and patriot in Bologna. He was murdered by a German Nazi Waffen SS soldier and was posthumously awarded Italy's Gold Medal of Military Valour. He is being investigated by the Catholic Church towards his possible canonisation. His beatification was celebrated in Bologna on 26 September 2021.
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. DNA analysis confirmed that the remains belong to a man and woman who died when they were 20 to 25 years of age.
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.
The battle of San Cesario in August 1229 was the culmination of a civil war between the members of the Lombard League. In the pitched battle, Modena and its allies defeated Bologna and its allies.