Scientists believe that the woman sacrificed herself to die in the arms of her husband.
In China, archaeologists have discovered a grave with two lovers hugging who were buried together over 1,500 years ago. This is reported by Science Alert.
Scientists suggest that the woman who wore the ring on the ring finger of her left hand sacrificed herself to be buried with her husband.
“This is the first couple to be buried in a loving embrace, nothing like this has ever been found in China,” said lead researcher Qian Wang.
Archaeologists have discovered an unusual burial site during the excavation of a cemetery, which was found during construction work in Shanxi province. About 600 burials of an ancient nomadic group of northern China, dating from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD), were found in the cemetery.
Since the burial of the couple was unique, archaeologists decided not to completely excavate the skeletons. Instead, the team left the lovers inseparable.
The researchers found that the man was 161.5 centimeters tall and had several injuries, including a broken arm, a crippled toe on his right hand, and bone spurs on his right leg. Scientists believe he died between the ages of 29 and 35.
At the same time, the woman was healthier at the time of her death. She was 157.1 cm tall and only had a few dental problems, including tooth decay. She most likely died between the ages of 35 and 40.
The woman may have worn the ring on her ring finger, influenced by “the customs of the western regions and other regions of the Silk Road, reflecting the integration of Chinese and Western cultures,” Wang notes.
The couple was buried with special tenderness and care. The man’s body was facing the woman, and his left hand lay under her body. The man’s right hand hugged his wife, and his left hand lay on her waist. The woman’s body was also positioned “in a hug position,” the researchers write. The woman’s head was turned slightly downward, which means that her face was resting on her husband’s shoulder. The woman’s hands hugged her husband’s body.
“The message was clear – husband and wife lay together, embracing each other in eternal love in the afterlife,” the researchers noted.
The team had several ideas about how the couple ended up in the same grave. It is unlikely that the lovers died at the same time, since no traces of violence, illness or poisoning were found on the bodies. Perhaps the husband died first, and his wife sacrificed herself so that their bodies were buried together, the researchers suggest.
Researchers believe that in the first millennium, when the couple was alive, the desire to freely express love in China became culturally “prominent.” Then there was an abundance of fictional love stories and even historical records of people who committed suicide because of unhappy love.
