It might reflect different beliefs about what was required or appropriate for individuals of different ages or social roles within the community.

The DNA analysis that the COMMIOS team applied to both individuals provided information that adds another dimension to their relationship and to the question of why they were buried together.

The ancient DNA extracted from both skeletons indicated that the two individuals were closely related — the genetic analysis placed them as probable second cousins, sharing a pair of great-grandparents.

This is not a close enough relationship to explain their burial together on the basis of being immediate family members, but it is close enough to indicate that they were known to each other within the community’s kinship network.

The combination of biological relatedness and differential treatment in the burial is intriguing.