Prunepicker
07-14-2013, 03:38 PM
From Live Science (http://www.livescience.com/38148-vampire-grave-uncovered-vampire-burial.html)
Archaeologists in Poland believe they've made a startling discovery: a
group of vampire graves.
The graves were discovered during the construction of a roadway
near the Polish town of Gliwice, where archaeologists are more
accustomed to finding the remains of World War II soldiers, according
to The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/10174137/Polish-archaeologists-unearth-vampire-grave.html).
But instead of soldiers, the graves contained skeletons whose heads
had been severed and placed on their legs. This indicated to the
archaeologists that the bodies had been subject to a ritualized
execution designed to ensure the dead stayed dead, The Telegraph
reports. [Famous Fangs: Tales of Our Favorite Vampires (http://www.livescience.com/20499-pop-culture-vampires.html)]
By keeping the head separated from the body, according to ancient
superstition, the "undead" wouldn't be able to rise from the grave to
terrorize the living. Decapitation was one way of achieving that;
another way was hanging the person by a rope attached to the neck
until, over time, the decaying body simply separated from the head.
Archaeologists in Poland believe they've made a startling discovery: a
group of vampire graves.
The graves were discovered during the construction of a roadway
near the Polish town of Gliwice, where archaeologists are more
accustomed to finding the remains of World War II soldiers, according
to The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/10174137/Polish-archaeologists-unearth-vampire-grave.html).
But instead of soldiers, the graves contained skeletons whose heads
had been severed and placed on their legs. This indicated to the
archaeologists that the bodies had been subject to a ritualized
execution designed to ensure the dead stayed dead, The Telegraph
reports. [Famous Fangs: Tales of Our Favorite Vampires (http://www.livescience.com/20499-pop-culture-vampires.html)]
By keeping the head separated from the body, according to ancient
superstition, the "undead" wouldn't be able to rise from the grave to
terrorize the living. Decapitation was one way of achieving that;
another way was hanging the person by a rope attached to the neck
until, over time, the decaying body simply separated from the head.