Research: An ancient tomb as a “vampire’s” resting place

Perhaps the young woman who was in the grave was feared to rise from the dead, and therefore objects to restrain evil forces were placed near the body.

The deceased had a curved iron sickle around his neck. It was positioned so that the blade was specifically against his throat. An iron padlock was on the big toe of the left foot, as if it were a chain.

The woman was buried about 400 years ago, researchers at Nicolaus Copernicus University estimate. The grave was opened in 2022. Now there is a study about it Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports in the journal.

When diseases, violence and adversity disciplined communities, even the dead were suitable as scapegoats in the old days.

The woman was perhaps 17–19 years old when she died. Based on radiocarbon dating, he was likely buried between 1620 and 1674.

Near the skull were small metal wires, silver and gold. They were apparently the remains of a luxurious headdress. These materials were very expensive in the 16th century, so the deceased was from a wealthy family.

The researchers concluded from the messy soil that someone opened the woman’s grave even before the body was completely decomposed. Someone changed the position of one of the woman’s arms and put a sickle on her neck.

Sickle and a padlock put on the leg were connected according to researchers in those days to rituals against evil forces. They were supposed to protect the living from the dead. The ground handle of the sickle was made of birch, which was thought to protect the living from evil spirits.

An interesting observation was also that there was a greenish mark on the palate of the skull. The researchers think that, for example, an object containing copper was pushed into the woman’s mouth.

Although, judging by the findings, the woman was wealthy and perhaps respected in her community, according to the chemical analysis of the remains, she was malnourished.

Based on his heritage, his roots were in the area of ​​present-day Scandinavia. Based on the isotopes of the teeth, however, he grew up in the Pień region in the then Polish-Lithuanian Union.

In others too signs have been found in old graves that the deceased was considered suspicious or scary, said the archaeologist Leszek Gardełan article Lund Archaelogical Review – science journal in 2015.

In Poland, archaeologists have talked about “vampire graves”. In everyday life, we talk about unusual burial customs, which have features that are special to the time and region. There are numerous examples of them in Central and Southeastern Europe.

The deceased in these graves are, for example, placed on their stomachs or in a north-south direction. Or the head has been removed from the body or a stick or knife has been inserted into it. Heavy stones may also have been placed on top of the bodies.