The Hasanlu Lovers were unearthed in the ruins of the ancient Iranian site of Hasanlu in 1972: two entwined skeletal remains, frozen in what seems to be an embrace that lasted for 2,800 years.
An anthropological analysis of the remains sheds light on the intriguing details of the Hasanlu Lovers. Believed to have perished during the destruction of Hasanlu around 800 BCE, both skeletons show signs of trauma, hinting at a violent end.
How the lovers died is still under speculation but both skeletons lack evidence of injury near the time of death and possibly died of asphyxiation. They were exhibited at the Penn Museum from 1974 until the mid-1980s.