Polish archaeologists frequently find graves of medieval vampires. There are a number of signs that help scientists determine the resting place of the “living dead”.
A human skull with a 40-inch nail, hammered on the hat — one of the most striking exhibits. These artifacts suggests that some centuries ago a vampire could take any person. From the “vampire hunters” all suffered those who differed from other people suffering from rare diseases or obscure seen in most lessons. Too high and too short, people with an unusual set of teeth or a defect of the nasal septum, causing wheezing — all of them became victims of prejudice. The hunt gained momentum in tough times — in times of violence epidemics, famine, drought and natural disasters.
Often the victims of “hunters” were people who suffered from porphyria — a hereditary disease in which pigment metabolism is disturbed. Patients with porphyria brown tooth enamel and very sensitive to light leather. In addition, they are often sharply react to strong scents that healthy people seem to happier things, like the smell of garlic.
“Vampires” were drowned in rivers, burned, beheaded. Sometimes vampires have recorded the deceased — in this case, they were exhumed and the remains were subjected to additional magical procedures. Confirmation that the body of the deceased is not all the time spent in a coffin, could be any random factors — the unusually good preservation of the body or unusual order of decomposition. Polish archaeologists are often able to identify the burial as a re-made after the “anti-vampire” procedures — for example, sometimes the dead simply turned on his stomach.
Eastern Europe was not the only place on the planet where people believed in the “living dead.” Similar burial practices described by researchers Babylon, Egypt, India, China and many other places. Some researchers believe that these superstitions are rooted in the Paleolithic.
