Mystery of the 'couple' buried arm in arm 1,000 years ago: not husband and wife, but two MEN

Archaeologists have unearthed the mysterious remains of what first appears to be a couple buried together arm in arm more than 1,000 years ago.

The amazing discovery shows the "couple" laying side by side in the grave with one's arm across the other.

But the discovery has left experts with a 1,000-year-old mystery.

They know that the body pictured on the right is that of a man, over 6ft tall but they believe that the body on the left is also that of a man as well.

First they thought the couple were a man and wife united in death. But now they believe they could be two men who were 'brothers in arms', possibly warriors, who died together and were buried in the one grave.

The unusual burial is thought to be from the Saxon period between 410AD and 1066AD.

Now they are waiting for forensic tests to be carried out to determine the sex of the pair and exactly when they were buried.

The remains were just some of dozens of finds at a huge archaeological dig which has been underway for the past year at the planned development of a giant salad growing complex near Ramsgate, Kent.

Adrian Gollop, project officer at the Canterbury Archaeological Trust which has been masterminding the work before the builders move in, said: "It is quite a rare discovery.

"The body on the right is definitely male.

"They are exceptionally tall - both over 6ft. The one on the left has got some female traits to it but it does seem to be male.

"Until we get the bones examined, we cannot be 100 per cent certain.

"They were found surrounded by a ring ditch.

"At first we thought they were early Iron Age but now we think they were from much later - in the Saxon period.

"Rather than looking at the two graves as a couple, we now think they could have been buried as brothers in arms. They died together and were buried together.

"There were no artefacts buried with them to give us any clues. It is a bit of a mystery really."

The tests on the bones have yet to be carried out but it is hoped that the forensic examination will give the team more clues into who the pair were.

Archaeologists have found a wealth of graves and artefacts ranging from the Early Bronze Age (between 2700 BC and 1500 BC) and the Medieval period on the vast 90 acres site.

Adrian said: "It has been fantastic archaeologically." In one section, 18 burials have been found including 16 humans and two dogs.

The team has uncovered hundreds of pits (many probably silos to store grain over the winter) and post holes (remains of wooden structures), numerous fragments of pottery jars and bowls, animal bones (sheep, cattle, pig), abundant charred remains of plants and pulses (especially cereals and peas) and burials of both humans and animals.

Five of the human burials were found in ditches surrounding the main area of Iron Age activity and may have been placed there to 'protect the settlement. Other burials may have been offerings.

Another poignant grave is that of a young girl - thought to be aged in her early teens - who died during a breech birth along with her baby.

The mother and baby seem to have been buried soon after death with the young girl still holding a smoothed pebble she was probably holding during the traumatic labour as a comforter.

Adrian said: "We think she is from the Roman era. She was close to a cemetery of about 20-24 people but she was on her own.

"It was a breech birth and the baby was still in the birth canal.

"She was found with a flint pebble. Some think it may have been ready to cut the umbilical cord but it a smoothed pebble on both sides. We think it could have been held by the mother during childbirth to comfort her."

The archaeological field work is expected to finish later this month.