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A pair of human skeletons which were locked in an embrace were unearthed recently at a construction site in Italy.

The remains, that are seen in this photo are provided by the Archaeological Society “SAP”, are said to be of a man and a woman who were buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago.

This find has sparked theories that clue towards a older love story than the Shakespeare’s classic tragedy.

A surprising discovery was made when a survey of genetic diversity in the United Kingdom was performed based on the male Y chromosome.This sex-determining chromosome is inherited from father to son, providing a record of male ancestry.

This uncommon DNA, is a chromosome called hgA1, that was previously been detected only in a region of West Africa that includes Mali, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau, the team says.

“It’s a really special chromosome, one that’s only been reported before in a handful of men in Africa,” said Mark Jobling, a genetics professor from the University of Leicester who led the research team.

This chromosome is based at the root of the family tree of Y chromosomes in Africa, according to Jobling. “It’s an ancient type that’s African specific.” The team found hgA1 in one white British male who took part in the survey, even though the man has no known African family connection. According to recent research,, this unusual DNA has been present in Britain for over 250 years.

Distinctive Surname

After making this surprising find, Jobling’s team tested other British men who had the same east Yorkshire surname as the original man found with the African chromosome. Genealogical research and further genetic testing were used to date the arrival of the African DNA in northern England.

Records like birth and marriage certificates traced the men’s surname to two individuals who were born in Yorkshire in the 1780s. This closely matched the date reached from analyzing mutations in the studied Y chromosome.Such mutations build up through generations at a predictable rate, allowing the study team to work back to the time when the men likely shared a common ancestor.

“Both those lines of evidence say that this chromosome has been around since at least the mid-18th century,” Jobling said. The finding suggests that black people have contributed to the “indigenous” British gene pool despite previous evidence to the contrary.

Africans were first recorded in northern England some 1,800 years ago, part of a Roman garrison brought in to defend Hadrian’s Wall against raids by tribes in what is now Scotland, the study team said.

But slaves from West Africa, Jobling said, were the most likely source of the African DNA revealed in the study. The new study, Thomas added, “makes the point that we do all have very mixed ancestry.”