Brazilian scientists have reconstructed the face of a vampire who was buried in the XVI century with a stone brick in her mouth to prevent her from feeding on corpses underground.
This study was published in the OrtogOnline journal.
The vampire was found in a mass grave of plague victims in 1576 on the Venetian island of Lazzaretto Nuovo during archaeological excavations in 2006.
"Vampires don’t exist, but studies show people at the time believed they did. For the first time we have found evidence of an exorcism against a vampire. By identifying a vampire, who according to popular legend of the time was one of the culprits of the plague, they introduced the stone as an element of protection, preventing it from feeding and infecting other humans," said Forensic Anthropologist Matteo Borrini, who led the research of this mass grave.
So far, Brazilian forensic expert and 3D illustrator Cicero Moraes has shown a 3D model of what the woman looked like, which terrified the locals. She has a sharp chin, silver hair, wrinkled skin and a slightly crooked nose. The woman, who was buried with a brick in her mouth, is estimated to be 61 years old and of European origin.
It is believed that the vampire theory was spread by Italian gravediggers, who often came across horrific decomposing bodies when opening mass graves to place other bodies. The corpses often appeared severely bloated, with bodily fluids leaking from the mouth and nose. The gravedigger might have placed a stone between the corpse's teeth to prevent the vampire from chewing through the cloth and infecting others with the plague.
In addition, this study tested the theory that it is possible to put a brick in a person's mouth. The researchers took a brick-shaped foam and tested this experiment on themselves. As a result, they concluded that a brick could be put into a person's mouth without causing damage to teeth and soft tissue.
Earlier, "Apostrophe" reported that archaeologists discovered an ancient Roman necropolis with unique artifacts.