Two skeletons found locked in an eternal embrace have been unearthed by Italian archaeologists near Verona, the city of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.

Credit: AFP

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SYDNEY: Romeo and Juliet may not have been the first couple to die in each other's arms, according to archaeologists.

Two 5,000 to 6,000 year-old skeletons were found locked in an embrace near Verona, the city of Shakespeare's story of tragic love. The discovery has sparked theories that the remains of a far more ancient love story have been found.

"As far as we know, it's unique," said Elena Menotti, the archaeologist who led the dig. "Double burials from the Neolithic are unheard of - and these are even hugging."

Archaeologists unearthed the skeletons dating back to the late Neolithic period outside Mantua, 40 kilometres south of Verona, in Italy. Buried between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago, the prehistoric pair are believed to have been a man and a woman – and since their teeth were found intact, they are thought to have died young, said Menotti.

Archaeologists excavating the region have already uncovered some 30 burial sites, all single, as well as the remains of prosperous villages filled with artefacts made of flint, pottery and animal horns.

Although the Mantua pair strike an unusual and touching pose, archaeologists have found other prehistoric burials in which the dead hold hands or have other contact, said Luca Bondioli, an anthropologist at Rome's National Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum. Bondioli, who was not involved in the dig, said the find had "more of an emotional than a scientific value."

"The Neolithic is a very formative period for our society," he said. "It was when the roots of our religious sentiment were formed." Experts might never determine the exact nature of the pair's relationship, but Menotti said she had little doubt it was born of a deep sentiment.

The couple's burial site was located earlier this week during construction work for a factory on the outskirts of Mantua. Alongside the couple, archaeologists found flint tools, including arrowheads and a knife. Experts plan to study the artifacts and the skeletons to determine the burial site's age and how old the two were when they died.

According to the team, establishing the cause of death could prove almost impossible unless they could find marks on the bones caused by something such as a weapon or debilitating disease.

Bondioli believes the two bodies, which cuddle closely while facing each other on their sides, were probably buried at the same time, an indication of a possible sudden and tragic death.

While DNA testing could determine whether the two were related, Bondioli believes there are "other hypotheses; the Romeo and Juliet possibility is just one of many."