5,800 couple in embrace has been unearthed in Southern Greece. Remains of a woman and a man who were suspected to be in their 20s were found in Diros Caves in the Peloponnese region of Greece. The 5,800 couple in embrace was believed to live around 3,800 BC as reflected by the carbon dating.
The 5,800 couple in embrace was most likely to be 'lovers' who protected each other until they die. They were excavated in the area near the northern entrance of the Alepotrypa ("Foxhole") Cave where it has been utilized as cemetery according to Ancient-Origins.
"Giorgos Papathanassopoulos has always argued...that the cave was a kind of pilgrimage site where important people were buried, leading to the fanciful idea that this was the original entrance to Hades, that it was the source of the Greek fascination with the underworld," Michael Galaty, archaeologist from Millsaps College in Missorri told Live Science.
Anastassia Papathanassiou, a senior member of the excavation team cited that the 5,800 couple in embrace was uncovered in 2013. They were submitted for DNA examination to determine their gender. She belived that they died holding each other, FOX NEWS reported.
The cave was found in 1950s and was known as Alepotrypa or foxhole. Experts headed by Giorgos Papathanassopoulos began excavating the area in the 70s according to Daily Mail. The archaeologists believe that the site has become a habitat for thousands before it collapsed and buried them alive.
Aside from the scientific findings of the experts of the 5,800 couple in embrace, there were stories suggesting that it has something to do with the kingdom of the underworld ruled by Hades, who in Greek mythology is the King of the dead.
The kingdom of the underworld is what historians referred to as the 'hell.'
It is yet not clear how the 5,800 couple in embrace died, and it has to be examined further to reveal other information. There were questions whether they were placed embracing each other after death or they died hugging each other.
Although the occurrence of the 5,800 couple in embrace was a rare find, it was not the first excavated remains of couples who were seen holding each other. In Novosibirsk village in Siberia, numbers of Bronze Age tombs were unearthed in 2012 containing couples who were holding each other.
According to Papathanassopoulos, the 5,800 couple in embrace was the oldest grave found in Greece.
