The Longest-Lasting Hug

[kennythebomb]

ROME (Reuters) - Call it the eternal embrace.

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Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.

"It's an extraordinary case," said Elena Menotti, who led the team on their dig near the northern city of Mantova.

"There has not been a double burial found in the Neolithic period, much less two people hugging -- and they really are hugging."

Menotti said she believed the two, almost certainly a man and a woman although that needs to be confirmed, died young because their teeth were mostly intact and not worn down.

"I must say that when we discovered it, we all became very excited. I've been doing this job for 25 years. I've done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites," she told Reuters.

"But I've never been so moved because this is the discovery of something special."

A laboratory will now try to determine the couple's age at the time of death and how long they had been buried.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070206/sc_nm/italy_embrace_dc

I think this is simply awesome.

In a culture of early humans, near the beginnings of organized society, here are two people who showed such genuine affection for each other that it was recognized by the community (somebody had to bury them) in the form of an everlasting hug.

 

[Dave A]

It's not suprising at all, love is one of the qualities built into human nature. Regardless of the ear, for two people to love each other a lot and in a way for people around them to recognise it isn't in any way suprising. It would just seem that these two people both died young, possibly together and as a result they we're buried together in that way, be it a request of theirs before they died or the families and/or friends using initiative.

 

[MagpieRacer]

incredible, thats a commited relationship, 6 thousand years and still hugging.

Seriously though that is cool, I would be excited to find something like that.

 

[kennythebomb]

It's not suprising at all, love is one of the qualities built into human nature. Regardless of the ear, for two people to love each other a lot and in a way for people around them to recognise it isn't in any way suprising. It would just seem that these two people both died young, possibly together and as a result they we're buried together in that way, be it a request of theirs before they died or the families and/or friends using initiative.

Yes I know what you are saying, these are characteristics of human nature. But if they are older than organized society as we know it, it would be monumental to me.

To anyone who might know: could these skeletons be classified as cavemen? The Neolithic is at the end of the Stone Age, so I really don't know what constitutes being a caveman. Do their skull shapes suggest that they are closer to homo sapien?

 

[Touring Mars]

If they're only 5000-6000 years old, they are certainly Homo sapiens. Modern humans date back to atleast 100,000 years ago, earliest examples to almost 200,000 years ago. Neanderthals and modern man both evolved from a common ancestor which can be traced back to 350,000 years ago, with neanderthals finally becoming extinct about 25,000 years ago. I'd have said the common perception of 'a caveman' was something from the era of neanderthal man.... by contrast, these people were much more advanced in terms of technology, society etc.

 

[kennythebomb]

If they're only 5000-6000 years old, they are certainly Homo sapiens. Modern humans date back to atleast 100,000 years ago, earliest examples to almost 200,000 years ago. Neanderthals and modern man both evolved from a common ancestor which can be traced back to 350,000 years ago, with neanderthals finally becoming extinct about 25,000 years ago. I'd have said the common perception of 'a caveman' was something from the era of neanderthal man.... by contrast, these people were much more advanced in terms of technology, society etc.

Ah okay, thank you for the clarification.