Emily Chan
In this case, similar vampire prevention tactics were put into practice. One of the children from the recently discovered graves had their head removed from their torso.
After the corpse was beheaded, the severed head was laid face-down in the grave. Heavy stones were placed on the torso. As evidenced by preserved postholes, the burial was probably marked by two pillars.
“Burying with the face to the ground, cutting off the head or pressing the body with a stone are among the methods used to prevent a person believed to be a demonic being from leaving the grave,” said the conservator.
Both burials were located in gypsum soil, which was a common tradition for the era. However, the graves lacked coffins and funerary items, indicating that local residents might have used the area for undocumented burials for some period of time.
Many so-called cases of vampirism or demonic possession during medieval times were actually caused by health issues or psychological conditions.
Examinations of bodies from the 18th century have revealed that some accused vampires were just victims of tuberculosis.
The remains of the children were excavated from the graves and will be analyzed for further information, including their age, gender, and cause of death.
