Roman-era `lovers of Modena`, buried hand-in-hand, were men
(Artdaily.org)

A pair of fifth-century skeletons buried hand-in-hand and known since their discovery in 2009 as the `lovers of Modena` are both men, researchers reported this week. Unable to verify their sex, scientists had simply assumed the degraded skeletons belong to a man and a woman, possibly lovers who resided in the north Italian town famous for its vinegar. But a new technique for analysing protein in tooth enamel has left no doubt that this was a same-sex burial. Exactly why the two men were carefully laid to rest with their hands interlocked remains a mystery. Several of 11 other skeletons unearthed at the same burial site showed signs of violent injury consistent with warfare, according to the study, published in Scientific Reports. `The two `lovers` could have been war comrades or friends who died together during a skirmish and were thus buried in the same grave,` University of Bologna professor Frederico Lugli and colleagues speculated.