Recent archaeological finds in northern China reveal the story of a couple's eternal love. The skeletal remains of men and women were found buried together more than 1,500 years ago.
The archaeologists who found it said the woman, who wore a metal ring on her left ring finger, sacrificed herself so that she could be buried with her husband.
Joint burials of men and women are not uncommon in China. But the burial with the two skeletons locked in an embrace that showed so much love, was the first such discovery in the country. and may reflect changing attitudes toward love in Chinese society. at that time, wrote the researchers in the study.
"This is the first pair to be found in such a loving embrace in China," said study lead researcher Qian Wang, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M College of Dentistry.
Archaeologists discovered the burial in June 2020 during excavations of a grave opened in Shanxi province. The cemetery contains about 600 burials from the Xianbei, an ancient nomadic group in northern China who was assimilated into Han Chinese culture, and dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD) ). In addition to the graves, various ancient ceramic items were also found at this excavation site.
Because the couple's burials were unique, archaeologists decided not to excavate the skeletal remains completely. Instead, the team kept them locked in each other's arms so they could be immortalized in a future museum exhibition.
"We found two other couples buried together at the same excavation site, but these two couples did not hug tightly and the female skeleton was not wearing a ring," Wang said.
Further research from this excavation revealed a lot about the lovers. The man is about 161.5cm tall and suffered several injuries, including a broken arm, missing part of a finger on his right hand and an injury to the bone in his right leg. He likely died between the ages of 29 and 35.
On the other hand, the woman was quite healthy when she died. He is about 157.1 cm tall and only has a few dental problems, including cavities. He likely died between the ages of 35 and 40. It is possible that the woman wore a ring on her ring finger because of the influence of western and surrounding customs that entered through the Silk Road and the assimilation of the Xianbei people who integrated Chinese and Western culture.
Whoever buried the couple did so with care and order. The researchers described the condition of the skeleton in detail, with the man's body curving toward the woman, and his left arm resting under his body. Meanwhile, his right arm embraced with his hand resting on his woman's waist.
The woman's body is also placed in a position to be hugged. His head is slightly tilted downward which means his face or head rests on the man's shoulder, and his arms hug his partner's body.
"It is possible that this scene reflects the couple's dedication to each other as long as they live. The message of this burial is very clear, husband and wife are always together, hugging each other for eternal love forever into the afterlife," the researchers wrote.