"Baldaero's Lovers" Are a Same-Sex Couple? ... DNA Analysis Technology Shakes Archaeology [Reading Science]

Male and female skeletons with handles excavated in Modena, Italy. Photo by Gazzetta di Modena

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] As DNA analysis technology advances, excavation results of ancient human graves from thousands of years ago are continuously breaking modern fixed notions about gender. In particular, the "Lovers of Valdaro" in Mantova, Italy, which attracted worldwide attention as the actual protagonists of "Romeo and Juliet" because the couple was found buried embracing each other, is undergoing a re-investigation of gender through DNA analysis, making the results highly anticipated.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian on the 18th, during the excavation of 1,500-year-old tombs near Modena, Italy, in 2009, two skeletons buried holding hands were discovered in one grave. At the time, local daily newspapers naturally assumed the pair to be a male and female couple and reported that it "shows how eternal love between a man and a woman can be." However, the DNA information of the skeletons was damaged, so the exact genders were not determined.

But in 2019, a research team from the University of Bologna conducted genetic testing using a new method and surprisingly found that both skeletons were male. Archaeologists consider this grave as possible evidence proving that homosexuality was common in the family and sexual culture of the region 1,500 years ago. Some argued that the two might have been comrades who died together in battle, but this claim lost credibility because there were no battle wounds, and the grave group also included a woman and a six-year-old child.

In 2017, a Viking grave excavated in Birka, Sweden, also revealed reversed gender results through DNA testing. This grave had been widely known since the 19th century and was filled with weapons, so it was assumed to belong to a male. However, DNA sample analysis by a research team from Uppsala University in Sweden showed that the grave’s owner was female. This finding sparked much controversy as it contradicted traditional notions about Vikings, who typically buried weapons like swords with men and jewelry with women.

Rejsek Garde, an archaeologist at the National Museum of Denmark, told The Guardian, "She may have been a warrior, but in 90% of graves with weapons, biologically male skeletons were found," adding, "Perhaps the Vikings had the concept of 'female warriors' in their mindset, but it was probably not common."

A research team from the University of Turku in Finland had a similar experience. Analysis of skeletons excavated from medieval Finnish graves showed XY chromosomes, indicating males, but these skeletons were unexpectedly adorned with female jewelry and clothing.

Until now, archaeologists have determined the owner of a grave based on the burial goods or the shape of the skeleton. However, with the advancement of DNA analysis technology, cases of reversed gender identification have become frequent, sparking debate.

In this regard, the University of Bologna research team plans to announce this fall the gender analysis results of another pair of skeletons named the "Lovers of Valdaro." These skeletons, housed at the Mantova National Archaeological Museum about an hour from Modena, are estimated to have died around 6,000 years ago at about age 16. When excavated in 2007, they were found with their noses touching and arms pressing each other's chests. Mantova, where the skeletons were found, is the setting city of Shakespeare’s famous work "Romeo and Juliet," drawing even greater interest.

The excavation team initially estimated the genders as male and female based on bone morphology, but the University of Bologna team believes different results may emerge. Although male and female bones differ, this is due to hormone secretion, and during adolescence, the differences are not distinct. Professor Rebecca Gowland of Durham University pointed out, "The skeletal differences between males and females become clear only after puberty," adding, "Even in adults, if the skeleton is incomplete or key bones are missing, simply determining gender based on morphology is unreliable."

Some scientists are also researching methods to distinguish gender by analyzing DNA of primates. Although most DNA is barely preserved and thus challenging, there is a method of measuring by analyzing tooth enamel. For example, the fossil of Lucy, once classified as the first "mother" of humanity based on osteological analysis of a half femur bone, was reanalyzed and found to be male, potentially changing her status to the first "father" of humanity.

Professor Pamela Geller, a biological archaeologist at the University of Miami, said, "Modern people are too constrained by existing categories and really lack creativity in understanding how people in the past lived," adding, "Especially regarding things like love or identity. Archaeologists are simply trying to reconstruct past lives based on the available data."