In Italy have unearthed the grave of a child vampire

Archaeologists from the US universities in collaboration with Italian archaeologists excavated an ancient Roman cemetery the remains of 10-year-old child, buried with a stone in his mouth. In ancient times they buried people suspected of vampirism.

The child had a fractured skull and could have shot him, but archaeologists believe that he likely died from malaria since the alleged burial in these places there was a massive epidemic of malaria. The remains were excavated in the so-called "Cemetery of the innocents" (La Necropoli dei Bambini), a special children's cemetery mid-5th century ad in the region of Umbria, the municipality of Lugnano in Teverina.

The bodies of many young victims of malaria were buried on the site of an abandoned Roman Villa, which was originally constructed in the late first century BC is mostly just buried the newborn babies or miscarriages, but sometimes the archaeologists came across and older children like 3-year-old girl or this 10-year-old vampire, whose gender is not yet known. Previously, archaeologists have dug up in that cemetery about 50 children's graves.

According to the researchers, the child is not necessarily considered a vampire. They have a version that stone in his mouth put in order that he not risen from the dead and infect other people with malaria, which in those ages was deemed dangerous and mysterious disease. However, the version with the "vampire" may be true, because this cemetery has been found evidence that people believed in black magic and used magic.

Previously in other tombs, archaeologists have unearthed along with the bones of the baby crow claws, bones of toad and bronze cauldrons filled with ash and the remains of the burned puppies. Probably animals sacrificed for something. And the bones of the upper body of 3-year-old girl, mentioned above, was especially crushed by the heavy stones to the ground. Probably someone didn't want her raised from the dead and rose from the grave.

"We know that the ancient Romans could use these rituals," says Professor David Soren of the University of Arizona, "Children who become ill with malaria, could be considered "evil devil" and was used by all, so they don't hurt the living after his death. Using DNA analysis, we revealed that about 1500 years ago in Lugnano was a big epidemic of malaria and died many children."

Found 10-year-old teeth found abscess that could be a side effect of malaria. While the baby's DNA has not been studied, it is considered to be one of the versions. The child was lying in the tomb on the left side between two thin cut slabs, which are then used as the covering of roofs of houses. Him especially as widely as possible opened her mouth to contain it. On the stone even left teeth marks.

Many of the remains of the "vampire" found earlier in Europe, had a similar stone in his mouth. They also sometimes hammered iron stakes into the chest to hit the heart. In 2014, a skeleton with a stake through the heart was found in Bulgaria.

In 2009 archaeologists found in Venice, the tomb of a female"vampire" with a brick in his mouth, and in 2017 in England found a grave of 3 or 4 centuries of our era, with the remains of a man. The skeleton lay back the top and in his jaws was clamped a stone. But the baby's grave-"vampire" archaeologists found for the first time and this is one of the most extraordinary archaeological finds of recent years.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»