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Ancient DNA tests confirmed that two women buried side by side about 800 years ago in Opole were not related, expanding the debate on social, spiritual, and community ties in the Middle Ages
Two women buried side by side about eight centuries ago, near the walls of the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Opole, southern Poland, had their story re-evaluated after ancient DNA tests confirmed that both were women and had no close kinship.
Ancient DNA changed the interpretation of medieval burial
The skeletons were found during excavations carried out between 2022 and 2025 around the cathedral. The position of the bodies caught the attention of archaeologists from the start, because one of the women was on her back, according to the medieval Christian pattern, while the other was placed on her side.
The woman placed laterally had one arm under the head of her companion, creating an image reminiscent of an embrace. Due to the juxtaposition of the bodies, researchers concluded that the two were placed simultaneously in the same grave.
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The incomplete preservation of the skeletons hindered the initial analyses. Fragmented skulls, missing parts of the pelvis, and time-induced damage prevented a secure identification by traditional osteological methods alone.
Faced with these limitations, researchers turned to ancient DNA. The genetic material extracted from the bones was sequenced in the laboratory and compared to the human reference genome, in a process described by geneticist Joanna Romeyer-Dherbey to Live Science as similar to reconstructing a book torn into many pieces.
Women buried in a privileged area of the cathedral
The location of the tomb is one of the most relevant points of the find. The two women were buried next to the walls of the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in an area considered privileged in the medieval context.
Spaces near churches used to be reserved for people of higher social prestige, such as members of the nobility or clergy. This detail indicates that the burial was not treated as marginal or punitive by the community.
Genetic analysis confirmed that the two individuals were women and ruled out a close familial relationship between them. The mitochondrial DNA further revealed that they belonged to different genetic lineages.
One of them was associated with haplogroup H, common in Europe. The other belonged to the rare U8a1a1. The data were described in an article published this month in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
Study of the skeletons avoids interpreting the “embrace” as proof of romance
Despite the suggestive image created by the position of the bodies, the authors do not claim that the burial proves a romantic relationship. The research treats the case with caution, as medieval funerary practices could express different types of bonds.
Among the possibilities considered are deep friendship, domestic cohabitation, religious partnership, or forms of “fictive kinship.” This type of relationship could function socially as a family structure, even without blood ties.
Co-author Agata Cieślik stated to Live Science that the people could have been connected by religion, shared residences, economy, or work. These socially recognized bonds could have been reflected in the way they were buried.
Finding reinforces the role of DNA in archaeology
The study also dismissed the hypothesis of burial associated with punishments or rituals against the dead considered dangerous, a practice recorded in parts of medieval Europe. There were no signs of decapitation, stones on the bodies, or isolation in peripheral areas.
For the authors, the case of Opole shows how genetics can correct or expand interpretations made solely by the position of the skeletons. In ancient burials, body posture, location, and physical proximity do not always reveal sex, kinship, or type of relationship on their own.
As highlighted by the magazine La Brújula Verde, ancient DNA functions as an important witness when the archaeological context is not enough to answer the questions left by the past.
The exact bond between the two women may never be known, but the care of the burial indicates that the relationship between them was important to that medieval community.
This article was prepared based on information from Live Science, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, and La Brújula Verde, with data, numbers, and statements preserved as per the consulted material.
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