Archaeologists investigating two skeletons found placed in an embracing position near a 13th-century cathedral in Poland have confirmed the individuals are both women through ancient DNA testing, according to reports from Live Science and The Independent. The remains, dated to the medieval period (about the 1200s), had long been discussed as possibly representing a same-sex relationship because of how they were laid to rest together. Researchers stress, however, that the genetic findings establish biological sex rather than the nature of the relationship. The accounts note that ideas about what the pairing “means” in terms of social or romantic partnership remain uncertain, since burial positions can reflect many possibilities such as close kinship, ritual practice, or community burial customs. The genetic results do make the burial notable in that it is described as Poland’s only confirmed medieval same-sex double burial in the accounts cited, but both sources caution against drawing definitive conclusions about the relationship based solely on placement and sex. The study’s key contribution, as presented in the reporting, is the confirmation of sex for both individuals using ancient DNA.