Russia. Holding hands for 5,000 years, a couple with mysterious jade rings and dagger

1/6. The man's skeleton had a ring made of rare white jade over one eye socket. Picture: Dmitry Kichigin

Bronze Age burial near Lake Baikal intrigues archeologists who have not yet revealed contents of leather pouch between man's kneecaps.

Experts speculation that this ancient couple are an elderly man and his wife or concubine, buried for eternity in a show of affection. There are some unique aspects to the couple who are believed to be from the Bronze Age Glazkov culture.

The man's skeleton had a ring made of rare white jade over one eye socket. Three more were on his chest. Archeologist Dr Dmitry Kichigin said: 'It was probably somehow connected with their ideas about the afterlife.'

Samples of the bone of the couple have been sent to Canada for radiocarbon analysis, but the Russian team involved in the excavations believe the couple to be 4,500 to 5,000 years old.

'In the grave we found male and female skeletons, lying on their backs, heads to the west, hand in hand,' he said. The site is a sacred burial place since Neolithic times overlooking the waters of Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake in the world. [...] siberiantimes.com


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Cerca del lago Baikal en Rusia se ha encontrado una tumba de la Edad del Bronce con dos esqueletos, uno masculino y otro femenino, acostados sobre la espalda, la cabeza hacia el oeste y dados de la mano. Adornos hechos con asta de ciervo, cuchillos y peculiares aros de jade han sido encontrados como ajuar de la pareja. Los investigadores especulan sobre su relación, en la que el hombre presenta mayor edad que la mujer. Pero parece claro, que aunque hay muchos ejemplos y son más comunes de lo que pensamos, estas muestras de afecto para la eternidad siempre llaman la atención...