DNA Confirms 800-Year-Old Poland Burial Held 2 Unrelated Women
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · May 21
DNA Confirms 800-Year-Old Poland Burial Held 2 Unrelated Women
4 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · May 21
Researchers analyzing an 800-year-old double grave at Opole’s Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross found both “hugging skeletons” were women and not closely related.
DNA evidence makes the grave the first genetically confirmed same-sex double burial from medieval Poland, overturning the usual assumption that adult double burials were male-female couples.
The women appear to have been buried at the same time, with one laid on her side and an arm placed beneath the other’s head, creating the embrace that drew attention.
Their prominent burial beside cathedral walls—and the absence of anti-revenant measures such as isolation, decapitation or stones—suggests they were not treated as social outcasts.
Researchers say the relationship remains unknown and may reflect forms of medieval “fictive kinship”; further genetic work on other graves could show whether such burials were rare or part of a wider pattern.
What forgotten medieval bonds might explain why two women were buried in an embrace in a 13th-century cathedral?
Ancient DNA is rewriting our past. How many other historical 'truths' might actually be wrong?
DNA Confirms Unique 13th-Century Same-Sex Double Burial in Opole, Poland: Rethinking Medieval Relationships
Overview
In May 2026, DNA analysis confirmed that an 800-year-old double burial in Opole, Poland, is the first genetically verified same-sex double burial from medieval Poland. Archaeologists discovered the remains of two women, buried in a tender embrace beside the historic Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This intimate posture intrigued researchers, who used advanced genetic techniques to extract and reconstruct fragments of their DNA. The findings offer new insights into medieval social structures and personal relationships, showing how modern science can reveal the hidden stories behind ancient burials.