Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
04-09-2022
WARSAW: The remains of a “female vampire” have been found in a village in Poland pinned by a sickle across her throat, reported First News.
Her toe was found padlocked so she could not “return from the dead”. The skeleton was discovered at a 17th-century cemetery during archaeological work.
A silk cap was also found with the remains of the skeleton which means she held a high social status.
The team leader of the project said the body was buried in an unusual form.
He said that in older times people buried bodies sometimes by burning them, cutting their limbs, or smashing them with a stone when they did not want them to return from the dead.
The sickle, he said, was purposefully placed on the neck so that if the body tried getting up, the head would cut off. The padlock on the left foot suggested the same.
In Eastern Europe dating back as far as the 11th century, people often believed that the buried could come back, clawing their way back up as monsters.
It is common for such skeletal remains to be found in such burial sites. Reportedly, the myth of vampires became so common in some parts of Europe that it led to mass hysteria and many executions.
Not only were those who were suspected of being vampires but even those who died unusually like by suicide considered dangerous. Their bodies were mutilated as a result.
In 2015, a team of archaeologists found five skeletons buried in the same way. There were sickles pressed against their throats. All the deceased were middle-aged women.
Meanwhile, Archaeologists have discovered an ancient fortress in Iraqi Kurdistan’s mountainous valley that they believe could be the lost city of Natounia, reported Live Science.
An intricately carved rock showing an ancient ladder is what makes experts hint towards the ancient royal city.
The fortress is named Rabana-Merquly. It belonged to the Parthian Empire which was a bitter enemy of the Romans. A study of the 2,000-year-old stronghold suggests that it was one of the regional centres for the Parthians.
The lead researcher of the study, Michael Brown, said that based on the garb of the figure seen on rocks, experts think that the newly discovered fortress was built by rulers in Adiabene.
Before this discovery, Natounia’s existence was found only on some coins dating back to the first century BC.
“Rabana-Merquly is by far the largest and most impressive site of the Parthian era in the region,” Brown said.
He added: “If you’re familiar with Lord of the Rings, it’s basically a real-life Helm’s Deep.”
He said that the fortress played a significant role in managing trade and diplomatic relations. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
