The discovery of 800-year-old lesbian hugging skeletons, researchers say, is the first known same-sex burial in medieval Poland and raises questions about the women’s relationship and what their unusual burial might tell us about medieval attitudes toward same-sex bonds.
THIS ARTICLE AT A GLANCE
- Two same-sex skeletons buried in an embrace 800 years ago
- The two women were not genetically related
- This is the first known same-sex burial in medieval Poland
- The discovery raises questions about medieval attitudes toward same-sex relationships.
Estimated read time: 3 minutes
About 800 years ago, two women were buried in an embrace in a prominent church in Poland. Now, a new DNA analysis of the “hugging skeletons” reveals that both people were women and that they were not genetically related.
The discovery, which researchers say is the first known same-sex double burial in medieval Poland, raises some new questions about ancient same-sex relationships. The skeletons were found next to a 13th-century cathedral, suggesting they may have held some significance.
“The discovery of an atypical burial in such a unique setting naturally raised questions about the nature of the relationship between the individuals buried together in a single grave,”
Agata Cieślik, a biological anthropologist at the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy in Poland, said.
The two women's bodies were arranged in a way that suggested intimacy. Genetic testing also revealed they were not related, ruling out a mother-daughter or sister relationship.
Were they partners? Close friends? Members of a religious community? Archaeological evidence alone cannot provide definitive answers, but genetic confirmation of their sex and lack of biological relationship provides crucial information for understanding their bond.
While same-sex burials have been documented in other parts of Europe, this is the first confirmed case of a same-sex double burial.
Medieval burial practices normally followed strict religious and social conventions. Same-sex double burials were rare, and when they did occur, they usually involved genetically related individuals such as mothers and daughters or sisters. The fact that these two women were buried together in an embrace, without a biological connection, suggests their relationship held special significance.
“Now, a new DNA analysis of the ‘hugging skeletons’ reveals that both individuals were women and that they were not genetically related.”
The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that same-sex relationships and bonds existed throughout history, even in periods and places where they were not openly acknowledged or documented. While we may never know the full story of these two women, their embrace across 800 years speaks to a connection that transcended the conventions of their time.
