Lovers of Valdaro

Common card · No. 209957

The Lovers of Valdaro, or Valdaro Lovers (Italian: Amanti di Valdaro), are a pair of human skeletons believed to be 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". Archaeologist Elena Maria Menotti led the excavation. The pair are a male and female no older than twenty years old at death and approximately 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) in height. The male skeleton was found with a flint arrowhead near the neck. The female had a long flint blade along the thigh, plus two flint knives under the pelvis. Osteological examination found no evidence of violent death, no fractures, and no microtrauma, so the most likely explanation is the flint tools were buried along with the people as grave goods. The skeletons were displayed briefly in public for the first time in September 2011 at the National...

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