CariDotMy

 Forgot password?
 Register

ADVERTISEMENT

View: 3328|Reply: 3

Female Vampire (16th Century) Unearthed in Venice -

[Copy link]
Post time 14-3-2009 09:02 AM | Show all posts |Read mode
Italy dig unearths female 'vampire' in Venice

By ARIEL DAVID
Associated Press Writer
March 13, 2009



This photo released by forensic archaeologist and anthropologist
Matteo Borrini of Florence University, Italy, Friday March 13, 2009
, shows the 16th-century remains of a woman with a brick stuck
between her jaws unearthed in 2006 in an archaeological dig near
Venice, northern Italy. (AP Photo/Matteo Borrini of Florence University)




ROME (AP) - An archaeological dig near Venice has unearthed the 16th-century remains of a woman with a brick stuck between her jaws _ evidence, experts say, that she was believed to be a vampire. The unusual burial is thought to be the result of an ancient vampire-slaying ritual. It suggests the legend of the mythical bloodsucking creatures was tied to medieval ignorance of how diseases spread and what happens to bodies after death, experts said.

The well-preserved skeleton was found in 2006 on the Lazzaretto Nuovo island, north of the lagoon city, amid other corpses buried in a mass grave during an epidemic of plague that hit Venice in 1576.

"Vampires don't exist, but studies show people at the time believed they did," said Matteo Borrini, a forensic archaeologist and anthropologist at Florence University who studied the case over the last two years. "For the first time we have found evidence of an exorcism against a vampire."

Medieval texts show the belief in vampires was fueled by the disturbing appearance of decomposing bodies, Borrini told The Associated Press by telephone.

During epidemics, mass graves were often reopened to bury fresh corpses and diggers would chance upon older bodies that were bloated, with blood seeping out of their mouth and with an inexplicable hole in the shroud used to cover their face.

"These characteristics are all tied to the decomposition of bodies," Borrini said. "But they saw a fat, dead person, full of blood and with a hole in the shroud, so they would say: 'This guy is alive, he's drinking blood and eating his shroud.'"

Modern forensic science shows the bloating is caused by a buildup of gases, while fluid seeping from the mouth is pushed up by decomposing organs, Borrini said. The shroud would have been consumed by bacteria found in the mouth area, he said.

At the time however, what passed for scientific texts taught that "shroud-eaters" were vampires who fed on the cloth and cast a spell that would spread the plague in order to increase their ranks.

To kill the undead creatures, the stake-in-the-heart method popularized by later literature was not enough: A stone or brick had to be forced into the vampire's mouth so that it would starve to death, Borrini said.


That's what is believed to have happened to the woman found on the Lazzaretto island, which was used as a quarantine zone by Venice. Aged around 60, she died of the plague during the epidemic that also claimed the life of the painter Titian.

Much later, someone jammed the brick into her mouth when the grave was reopened. Borrini said that marks and breaks left by blunt instruments on several among more than 100 skeletons found by the archaeologists show that the grave was reused in a later epidemic.

Such a reconstruction of events is plausible, as is the link to the superstitions about "shroud-eaters," said Piero Mannucci, the vice president of the Italian Society of Anthropology and Ethnology.

"Maybe a priest or a gravedigger put the brick in her mouth, which is what was normally done in such cases," Mannucci said.

The anthropologist, who did not take part in Borrini's research, said that at a time when bacteria were unknown, such superstitions were a way for the terrified population to explain the waves of plague epidemics that killed millions during the Middle Ages. Jews were also often accused of spreading the disease.

Borrini said the discovery shows that vampires in popular culture were originally quite different from the elegant, aristocratic blood-drinker depicted in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula" and in countless Hollywood revisitations.

"The real vampire of tradition was different," he said. "It was just a decomposing body."

(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
By ARIEL DAVID
Associated Press Writer

ROME (AP) - An archaeological dig near Venice has unearthed the 16th-century remains of a woman with a brick stuck between her jaws _ evidence, experts say, that she was believed to be a vampire. The unusual burial is thought to be the result of an ancient vampire-slaying ritual. It suggests the legend of the mythical bloodsucking creatures was tied to medieval ignorance of how diseases spread and what happens to bodies after death, experts said.

The well-preserved skeleton was found in 2006 on the Lazzaretto Nuovo island, north of the lagoon city, amid other corpses buried in a mass grave during an epidemic of plague that hit Venice in 1576.

"Vampires don't exist, but studies show people at the time believed they did," said Matteo Borrini, a forensic archaeologist and anthropologist at Florence University who studied the case over the last two years. "For the first time we have found evidence of an exorcism against a vampire."

Medieval texts show the belief in vampires was fueled by the disturbing appearance of decomposing bodies, Borrini told The Associated Press by telephone.

During epidemics, mass graves were often reopened to bury fresh corpses and diggers would chance upon older bodies that were bloated, with blood seeping out of their mouth and with an inexplicable hole in the shroud used to cover their face.

"These characteristics are all tied to the decomposition of bodies," Borrini said. "But they saw a fat, dead person, full of blood and with a hole in the shroud, so they would say: 'This guy is alive, he's drinking blood and eating his shroud.'"

Modern forensic science shows the bloating is caused by a buildup of gases, while fluid seeping from the mouth is pushed up by decomposing organs, Borrini said. The shroud would have been consumed by bacteria found in the mouth area, he said.

At the time however, what passed for scientific texts taught that "shroud-eaters" were vampires who fed on the cloth and cast a spell that would spread the plague in order to increase their ranks.

To kill the undead creatures, the stake-in-the-heart method popularized by later literature was not enough: A stone or brick had to be forced into the vampire's mouth so that it would starve to death, Borrini said.

That's what is believed to have happened to the woman found on the Lazzaretto island, which was used as a quarantine zone by Venice. Aged around 60, she died of the plague during the epidemic that also claimed the life of the painter Titian.

Much later, someone jammed the brick into her mouth when the grave was reopened. Borrini said that marks and breaks left by blunt instruments on several among more than 100 skeletons found by the archaeologists show that the grave was reused in a later epidemic.

Such a reconstruction of events is plausible, as is the link to the superstitions about "shroud-eaters," said Piero Mannucci, the vice president of the Italian Society of Anthropology and Ethnology.

"Maybe a priest or a gravedigger put the brick in her mouth, which is what was normally done in such cases," Mannucci said.

The anthropologist, who did not take part in Borrini's research, said that at a time when bacteria were unknown, such superstitions were a way for the terrified population to explain the waves of plague epidemics that killed millions during the Middle Ages. Jews were also often accused of spreading the disease.

Borrini said the discovery shows that vampires in popular culture were originally quite different from the elegant, aristocratic blood-drinker depicted in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula" and in countless Hollywood revisitations.

"The real vampire of tradition was different," he said. "It was just a decomposing body."


*****************************************************************************************

kalau baca tentang vampires -- sokmonya lelaki la vampire ni
tapi.. kalau pontianak (direct translation untuk vampire) -
kat malaysia ni memang perempuan la -
dan kalau tak nak bagi dia jadi pontianak - letak paku kat leher dia -
jadi perempuan cantik...  though pada saya tu myth aje la tu -
(regarding letak paku tu) --  

sampai ada brick kat dalam mulut skull ni - memang menakutkan juga -
Reply

Use magic Report


ADVERTISEMENT


Post time 14-3-2009 06:09 PM | Show all posts
so,makna wujud laa makhluk penghisap darah nih or ianya adalah seseorg yg di anggap aneh oleh masyarakat masa tu kendian di hukum bunuh sebagaimana pengamal ilmu hitam di sesetgh negara yg majoritinya kokesen kn?  kita percaya fahaman sempit yg salah telah membuatkan manusia menghukum manusia lain dgn sewenang2nya...dan kita juga percaya dahulu manusia juga berpegang pd ajaran pagan yg percaya pd keajaban alam,misterinya dan petanda yg di lihat sebagai sesuatu yg mereka anggap sebagai keramat atau berpuaka... :re:
Reply

Use magic Report

Post time 15-3-2009 09:08 PM | Show all posts

Balas #2 liyamariska\ catat

mcm sallem witchcraft gak ker.....ngeri tol klu pk mcm mana diaorg tergamak tuduh dan bunuh wanita hanya kerana seseorg terlihat kelawar terbang keluar dari rumah wanita tuh....so barbaric
Reply

Use magic Report

 Author| Post time 17-3-2009 06:22 AM | Show all posts
Originally posted by sagiman91 at 15-3-2009 21:08
mcm sallem witchcraft gak ker.....ngeri tol klu pk mcm mana diaorg tergamak tuduh dan bunuh wanita hanya kerana seseorg terlihat kelawar terbang keluar dari rumah wanita tuh....so barbaric



zaman tu (that's end of the 15th century tak silap saya) -
depa memang akan focus pada orang yang tak sama pendapat
dan akan cari apa saja even sedikit kesalahannya

* a lot like at this time too i reckon -
Reply

Use magic Report

You have to log in before you can reply Login | Register

Points Rules

 

ADVERTISEMENT


Forum Hot Topic
...BYE 2024, HELLO 2025...
seribulan...BYE 2024, HELLO 2025...
Views : 54892 Replies : 13
...AZAM TAHUN 2025...
seribulan...AZAM TAHUN 2025...
Views : 55320 Replies : 25
Mangkuk kosong pun kena bayar
ultra78Mangkuk kosong pun kena bayar
Views : 16312 Replies : 7
New Chapter 01: FATTAH AMIN ~ Bebaskanlah mimpi-mimpi terindah
codenamedreamNew Chapter 01: FATTAH AMIN ~ Bebaskanla
Views : 36419 Replies : 1323
V82: HANIS HAIZI B. ABD HAMID Melarikan Diri Dari Bayar Cukai LHDN Ke Los Angeles CA
anony-mousV82: HANIS HAIZI B. ABD HAMID Melarikan
Views : 5543 Replies : 178
'Lily' ditemui mati dengan menyayat hati, kaki dipotong. Update 26/12/2024 - Bangkai kucing dan anjing ditemui
ultra78'Lily' ditemui mati dengan menya
Views : 70731 Replies : 164
Aisar Khaled 'kejar'  Fuji ratu fyp Indonesia
sonya21Aisar Khaled 'kejar' Fuji ratu
Views : 30706 Replies : 39
Tanda tanya akhirnya terjawab, mahu berkahwin punca Syasya tinggalkan Dolla
babyorangeTanda tanya akhirnya terjawab, mahu berk
Views : 27719 Replies : 191
madu gula tok matahari
aaanf14madu gula tok matahari
Views : 108431 Replies : 1133
Acikpor vs. Ngai, isu tajaan MARA dikorek
maklukpenggodaAcikpor vs. Ngai, isu tajaan MARA dikore
Views : 43139 Replies : 1209

 

ADVERTISEMENT


 


ADVERTISEMENT
Follow Us

ADVERTISEMENT


Mobile|Archiver|Mobile*default|About Us|CariDotMy

26-12-2024 10:36 AM GMT+8 , Processed in 0.045173 second(s), 16 queries , Gzip On, Redis On.

Powered by Discuz! X3.4

Copyright © 2001-2021, Tencent Cloud.

Quick Reply To Top Return to the list