Archaeologists have unearthed 3,500-year-old skeletal remains of couples buried facing each other and holding hands in Siberia.
The extraordinary discovery, which dates from the Bronze Age, was made in Siberia's Staryi Tartas village where archaeologists have studied 600 tombs.
Dozens of graves contain couples buried in an embrace. Some of the bodies were buried crouched on the side of the tomb, along with children.
Experts speculate a number of hypotheses behind such a burial, one being a situation where the man died and his wife was killed to be buried alongside him.
"We can fantasise a lot about all this," Professor Molodin, a director of research at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told The Siberian Times.
"We can allege that husband died and the wife was killed to be interred with him as we see in some Scythian burials, or maybe the grave stood open for some time and they buried the other person or persons later, or maybe it was really simultaneous death," he said.
Molodin said that once they establish the kinship between the buried individuals, they would have clearer picture of the burial ritual.
"When we speak about a child and an adult, it looks more natural and understandable. We found the burial a man and a child. What is a degree of their kinship? Are they father and son or....?
"The same question arises when we found a woman and a child. It should seem obvious - she is the mother. But it may not be so. She could be an aunt, or not a relative at all."
Another professor, Lev Klein of St Petersburg State University, suggests that the buried couples are linked to reincarnation beliefs.
Scientists are seeking to unravel the secrets of the mysterious burials in about five to ten years with the help of DNA tests.
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Siberian Couple Tombs Mystery
Cemetery areas in the village of Staryi Tartas, Siberia, kept a mystery. There, the Russian scientists discover 600 tombs and derived from the Bronze Age 3,500 years ago. When disassembled, what is in the grave makes the archaeologists wonder.
There is more than one skeleton in the grave lot. Dozens of them were buried in pairs. There is a skeleton man and woman holding each other, buried side by side, some even with children skeleton.
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| Russian scientists have uncovered the bones of dozens of couples buried facing each other in Staryi Tartas village in Siberia. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) |
On the one hand, the poses in the tomb show proximity: kinship and romance - together toward 'immortality'. However, the suspicion arises, there could be another terrible explanation behind it.
"Archaeologists are trying to explain the phenomenon and believes the DNA tests will provide answers about the unusual cemetery," as reported by the Daily Mail, on Monday, December 30, 2013 taken from Siberian Times.
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| Some graves at the site in Novosibirsk region in western Siberia show adults buried with children. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) |
One theory calls, the Andronovo burials showed the family togetherness. But, there is another version that after a person dies, his wife died and were buried together. Other facts show several couples pose was intentionally buried with sexual intercourse. It could be a young woman so victimizing to play this role in the tomb.
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| One writer described the scenes in the graves poignantly as skeletons in 'post-mortal hugs with bony hands clasped together'. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) |
Other graves in the cemetery in the Novosibirsk region, western Siberia also showed adults were buried along with the kids. Professor Vyacheslav Molodin, research director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch said, there are many theories that could explain the phenomenon. "We can fantasize about all of this," he said.
"We can predict when a husband dies, his wife and then killed and buried together as we see in some Scythian burial. Or maybe it dug another grave to bury loved ones. Might also occur when the simultaneous death," he said. Professor Vyacheslav Molodin added to the tombs with skeletons of adults and children, look more natural and easy to understand. "However, when it was discovered two adults - it is not so clear. There are various hypotheses, but what actually happens, we do not know yet."
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| Work is underway to establish the 'kinship' of these ancient couple burials using DNA research. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) |
Now, experts are trying to uncover the alleged kinship of skeletons that exist in one tomb. One of them is by doing DNA research. "For example, we found the tomb of a man and a child. Kinship What level are they? Are they father and son or ...? Same question arises when we found the skeleton of a woman and child. Was that mother and child, or aunt-nephew, or no connection at all. Scientifically we need the paleo-genetics tools, "said Professor Molodin.
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| Archeologists are struggling for explanations and believe DNA tests will provide the answers to these remarkable burials, it was reported. (Picture from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) |
Burial of the bodies associated in couple, Professor Lev Klein of St. Petersburg State University suspected that it could be related to the belief in reincarnation. Which may be affected deeksha ritual in ancient Indian sub-continent - at the time of the oldest Hindu scripture composed.
"Deeksha is considered as a 'second birth' and to finish it, one must perform sexual rituals to impregnate someone." In other words, when dead, a man must perform sexual acts to impregnate a woman. "Maybe in the pre-Vedic period, families often seek to reproduce the 'deeksha' for the dead at the expense of a woman or a girl (or a few), as simulated sexual intercourse in the grave," he said.
Professor Molodin not override this version, however, so clearly, this hypothesis requires further research. "The Klein idea can be extended to Siberia as well, especially some researchers think that the Andronovo is the past Iranian people. But it's just a hypothesis,"
Read more: http://trussty-jasmine.blogspot.com/2013/12/siberian-couple-tombs-mystery.html#ixzz2p985yxcT
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