Spoopy news for anyone who romanticizes Ye Olden Times: an ancient skeleton has been discovered in a Bulgarian “vampire grave” with an iron ploughshare hammered through its chest. In addition to skewering the unfortunate fellow with a two-pound stake, vampire hunters also chopped one of his legs off to slow him down should he manage to rise from the dead. Lovely. Level-headed and totally reasonable reaction as usual, humanity!
The “vampire grave” was discovered in southern Bulgaria by Professor Nikolay Ovcharov, an archeologist described by various news outlets as “the Bulgarian Indiana Jones.” (That is entirely too little information for my taste!) Ovcharov found the 13th-century remains while excavating the ruins of Perperikon, an ancient city rediscovered only twenty years ago and thought to be the site of The Temple of Dionysus. In addition to a citadel and fortress, archaeologists now believe Perperikon to contain a series of vampire graves. Ovcharov says of his most recent find,
We have no doubts that once again we’re seeing an anti-vampire ritual being carried out […] Often they were applied to people who had died in unusual circumstances – such as suicide. […] The ploughshare weighs almost two pounds and is dug into the body into a broken shoulder bone. You can clearly see how the collarbone has literally popped out.
“Vampire graves” have been uncovered at nearby sites as well–two similar skeletons discovered 200 miles east of Perperikon have been nicknamed “the twin vampires of Sozopol.” Â In addition to the “vampire” remains, Bulgarian Indy also uncovered the skeletons of a mother and her baby buried in the image of the Virgin Mary and her child; a practice thought to ward off plague. Yep, if you weren’t suicidal or disposing of a vampire in the 13th century, it’s probably because you were busy succumbing to a horrible disease. Scrap all time machines, team! We’d be dead before you can say “bubonic.”
(via The Telegraph and Blastr)
Previously in Beel! Sookeh! Beel! Sookeh!
- Archeologists may have unearthed Dracula’s dungeon
- But do vampires get periods?
- Underworld is getting the reboot treatment
Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?
