Two 700-Year-Olds Found Holding Hands
Even death hasn't done them apart. For at least 700 years, they have been holding hands, archaeologists with the University of Leicester found out, according to the Daily Mail. The skeletons are of a man and a woman at about the same age---even if you thought otherwise. They have been found under the "lost chapel of St. Morell," overlooking the tiny village of Hallaton in Leicestershire, England.
Leicester Archaeological Services has found 11 of the affectionate couples that have been dated back to the 14th century by radiocarbon. The site near the medieval Chapel of St Morrell was rediscovered only recently, as it had got lost in history. The local historian, John Morrison, managed to find it after looking through some ancient documents, and called in some geophysicists to shoot images of the area, and identify the spot worth digging. The interesting project is being run by Hallaton Fieldwork Group volunteers. There have been efforts to start disinterring for the past four years, two weeks a year.
The couple was buried in the same grave with arms crossed. "We have seen similar skeletons before from Leicester where a couple have been buried together," University of Leicester archaeologist Vicky Score told the Daily Mail. "The main thing is, why were they buried out up there? There is a perfectly good church in Hallaton. Was it a special place?" The chapel was dedicated to Saint Morrell, the 4th Bishop of Anjou, France, who lived in the 5th century AD. Indeed, the spot has been special for at least 2,000 years, she said.
But how can they be buried together, even if they were in love? How did they die at the same time? While some feel that one may have died while the other committed suicide, others are not sure that this assumption could be accurate. Suicide was considered a sin in medieval times, so such '"sinners" wouldn't have been interred in a holy spot.
Archaeologist Donato Labate, the director of another excavation in Modena, Italy, had said that such discoveries make one feel some softness. "I have been involved in many digs, but I've never felt so moved."
A close examination of the other skeletons showed one seemingly old man who looked as if he had been done down with a sharp instrument, perhaps a pole axe on the head, says Vicki Score, project manager for University of Leicester Archaeological Services. One man was buried with legs curled up to his chest, maybe due to illness.
The lovebirds have now made it to Facebook---though they would never have imagined that the whole world may get to know about their special relationship someday. Maybe they would not mind it, or maybe they wouldn't like being exposed to the whole world if they had tried to elope.... Still, you might like to connect with them here.