Skeletal Couple Together Forever

Archaeologists in Rome began working on the eve of Valentine's Day to extract a pair of skeletons they found Monday. The find is characterized as rare and valuable, as double burials were "unheard of" during the late Neolithic. Experts believe the pair was buried between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago. Archeologists have postulated that the couple were likely to be young, as their teeth are in good shape and intact.

"We will work to keep them together," said Elena Menotti, the lead archeologist for the Mantua dig. "Removing the turf in one piece will preserve the position and allow us to collect more data on the burial." Menotti went on to explain that there is little doubt that the pose of the couple was born of a deep love, but allowed that there may be no possible way to determine the precise nature of their relationship, much less how the couple died. Menotti told the Associate Press "As far as we know, it's unique. Double burials from the Neolithic are unheard of, and these are even hugging." The skeletons were found lying side by side, facing each other, and locked in a touching embrace. "I must say that when we discovered it, we all became very excited. I've been doing this job for 25 years. I've done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites," Menotti told Reuters, "But I've never been so moved because this is the discovery of something special."

The couple was discovered on the outskirts of Mantua during construction work last week. The site is located approximately 25 miles south of Verona, Italy - which happens to be the city where Shakespeare set his tragic tale of love, "Romeo and Juliet." The discovery has fueled much talk in the media about love.

Mantua's archeological office released a statement Tuesday that stated previous digs have shown that the wife of a deceased man was sometimes sacrificed to be buried at his side, but that "at the current stage of research" there was no evidence that was the case with the Mantua couple.