The Greek Archaeological Service announced that a Neolithic couple, in locked embrace, was found during excavations by the northern entrance of the Alepotrypa ("Foxhole") cave in Southern Greece. The burial site contained broken arrowheads accompanying the couple, whose skeletons date back to 3800 B.C. according to the C14 method. A DNA analysis confirmed that the remains were those of a male and female. Their remains were found near those of another male-female couple found in a fetal position.

The cave in the area around the Neolithic Diros Cave, western Mani, in the Peloponnese, was used as a cemetery from the Early to Final Neolithic period between 6000 - 3200 B.C. A huge earthquake is believed to have sealed the cave’s entrance at around 3200 B.C., thus ending cave burials.

Dr. George Papathanassopoulos, in charge of the committee of the Paleoanthropology Ephorate of Antiquities said that the two burials are in excellent condition. "The type of burial in fetal position is common in the Neolithic era, but the specific couple locked in an embrace is one of the earliest known examples."