ATHENS (AFP).- Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a rare burial of a prehistoric couple positioned in an embrace, the culture ministry said on Thursday.

The discovery was made in the cave of Diros, a coastal site in the Peloponnese peninsula known to have been inhabited since 6,000 BC, the ministry said in a statement. 

"Double burials in embrace are extremely rare, and that of Diros is one of the oldest in the world, if not the oldest found to this date," the ministry said.

The burial was carbon-dated to 3800 BC and DNA tests confirmed that the remains are those of a young man and woman, though no further information was given on their respective ages.

A five-year excavation of the site, completed last year, also uncovered the burial of an infant and that of a foetus, in addition to an ossuary containing the remains of dozens of people.

Pottery, beads and a dagger were also found in the ossuary, which was four metres wide, had a pebble floor and is described as "unique" for the era.

"We can safely assume that this area operated in the collective memory of these groups as a place to deposit their dead over thousands of years," the ministry said.



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