During construction work in Wels, Austria in 2004, an unusual grave was uncovered containing the remains of two individuals embracing each other and at least one horse. Initially thought to be an early medieval double burial, the grave’s true significance has recently been revealed through extensive research led by anthropologist Sylvia Kirchengast and archaeologist Dominik Hagmann from the University of Vienna.

Designated as Grave 12, the site was located within the eastern burial ground of the ancient Roman city of Ovilava. Initially believed to be a medieval burial of a couple accompanied by a horse, a common practice of the time, further analysis using bioarchaeological and archaeogenetic methods has uncovered surprising findings.

Radiocarbon dating of the grave has placed its origins in the 2nd to 3rd century CE, significantly older than originally estimated—by approximately 500 years—firmly establishing it as a burial from the Roman period. Genetic analysis conducted on the human remains has confirmed the individuals as a mother and her daughter, marking the first genetically confirmed double burial of 1st-degree relatives from the Roman period in Austria.