Magdalena Przysiężna-Pizarska
The two women were unrelated and were buried in a position usually used for married couples. However, scientists do not believe that they were in a romantic relationship.
DNA analysis in Poland revealed that two skeletons buried in each other’s arms around 800 years ago belonged to women with no biological relationship.
The remains, often called “hugging skeletons,” were discovered during excavations carried out between 2022 and 2025 in the 13th-century Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Opole, southwestern Poland. Researchers say this is the first genetically confirmed same-sex double burial in medieval Poland.
The unusual positioning of the bodies immediately caught the attention of archaeologists. One of the women was buried in a traditional Christian way of the timelying on your back with your arms along your body. The second woman, in turn, was placed on her side, with one arm under the other’s head, creating the appearance of a hug.
Since double burials of adults from the Middle Ages are often interpreted as being of couplesinvestigators initially sought to determine whether the pair consisted of a man and a woman or possibly members of the same family. To answer these questions, scientists performed advanced DNA analysis on the remains.
Researchers extracted fragments of ancient DNA from the bones and reconstructed parts of the women’s genetic profiles using sequencing technology. The results confirmed that both people were female and who did not share any close biological relationship.
“The discovery of an atypical burial in such a unique context naturally raised questions about the nature of the relationship between the buried people together,” said Agata Cieślik, a biological anthropologist at the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, in Poland.
The findings were in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports and sparked debate among historians and archaeologists about the social connection between the two women.
Despite speculation, investigators caution against assuming the pair were a couple. Medieval religious and legal systems strongly condemned same-sex relationshipsoften imposing severe punishments. Scholars argue that if the women had been openly suspected of such a relationship, they likely would not have received burial privileges at such an important religious site, says the .
The location of the grave is considered especially significant. The burial place, next to the cathedral walls, was traditionally reserved for individuals of high statussuch as nobles, clergy or local elites. Furthermore, there were no signs of ritual practices often associated with marginalized or feared individuals, such as beheading or burial in isolated terrain.
Instead, researchers believe the women may have shared another type of close social bond, sometimes called “fictitious kinship.” Such relationships, based on religion, shared homes, work or economic ties, could function in a similar way to family relationships in medieval society.
