"... and Death did NOT us part"

[SANDRO43]

An extremely unusual discovery was announced a couple of days ago by an archeological  team working near Mantua. Nothing similar was ever found before here in our country, and maybe elsewhere, too. Here is a short synopsis of the report from one of the many Italian newspapers carrying the news:

A 6,000 Y.O. EMBRACE
A moving discovery was made fortuituously by archeologists working on the site of a 1st century AD Roman country villa at Valdaro : two Neolithic skeletons of different sexes, buried facing and lovingly embracing each other. Dating the remains of the lovers of Valdaro, as the young couple was immediately nicknamed, was made easy by the flint arrow-head found near the cervical vertebrae of the skeleton at left (male) and the long flint blade near the thigh bone of the skeleton at right (female), preserved by the local clay soil. The difficult puzzle to solve now is : why were they buried in such an unusual manner ? A violent, simultaneous death ? Ritual sacrifice ? Murder ? The remains will be moved for further detailed analysis, which may hopefully provide an answer to the mystery.

[BillyB]

Experts say it is very unusual for people in that area to be buried together during that era. The couple was said to be young since they both have a full set of teeth. Unless nature dumped a bunch of clay on them, I suspect they were buried by humans and I don't think the people who buried them put them together that way, I suspect they were buried alive and embraced each other till their last moments.

[SANDRO43]

The couple was said to be young since they both have a full set of teeth.

Yes, and also based on the good condition of their cusps (chomping animal skins to make them softer wore teeth down considerably).

Unless nature dumped a bunch of clay on them. I suspect they were buried by humans

The area is quite flat, so landslides are out of question, and their posture is obviously not accidental.

and I don't think the people who buried them put them together that way, I suspect they were buried alive and embraced each other till their last moments.

The initial examination was naturally cursory, and time will tell if signs of trauma can be detected on their bones. If, as you say, they took voluntarily that posture, they must also have assumed some soporific substance to ease their passage. I doubt anybody could remain so calmly composed, when being buried alive AND conscious.

[SANDRO43]

A larger picture of the lovers of Valdaro. The local Archeology Superintendant assured reporters that they are considering ways to remove their remains along with the underlying soil, so as not to disturb their current arrangement.