The Vampire Graves of Europe

Howdy friends. For this halloween, we are taking a step back in time to explore the haunting world of vampire burials. Mysterious archaeological sites around the world highlight the frightening world of superstitions once held around vampires and other entities. We will explore the origins of these superstitions, how they changed through time, and the real archaeology that shows evidence of these beliefs in practice.

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VIDEO CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:36 Vampires
05:00 Sundown
07:45 The Vampire of Lugnano
11:20 The Revenants
18:05 The Rise of the Vampire
20:18 Vampire Hysteria
29:00 Causus Vampiri
32:45 The Accused
42:04 Alternative Vampire Stratagies
45:23 Fear of the Unknown
51:22 Credits

References

Brennan, Emily. 2016. “The Archaeology of…Vampires – GRAVE THOUGHTS.” grave thoughts. https://gravethoughtsblog.com/2016/10/31/the-archaeology-of-vampires/.

Cascone, Sarah. 2022. “In a 17th-Century Polish Grave, Archaeologists Have Discovered the Shackled Bones of a Woman Once Believed to Be a Vampire.” *Art Net*, 09 07, 2022. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/in-a-17th-century-polish-grave-archaeologists-have-discovered-the-bones-of-a-woman-believed-to-be-a-vampire-2171262.

Flynn, Daniel. 2009. “"Vampire" unearthed in Venice plague grave.” *Reuters*, March 12, 2009. https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/science/vampire-unearthed-in-venice-plague-grave-idUSTRE52B4RU/.

Ghose, Tia. 2014. “Mystery of 'Vampire' Burials Solved.” *Live Science*, November 26, 2014. https://www.livescience.com/48924-mystery-of-vampire-burials-solved.html.

Gray, Richard. 2014. “Polish 'vampires' were killed by CHOLERA: Tests reveal suspected bloodsuckers were actually early victims of the epidemic.” *Daily Mail*, November 26, 2014. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2850623/Polish-vampires-killed-CHOLERA-Tests-reveal-suspected-bloodsuckers-actually-early-victims-epidemic.html.

Gregoricka, Lesley, Tracy Betsinger, Amy Scott, and Marek Polcyn. 2014. “Apotropaic Practices and the Undead: A Biogeochemical Assessment of Deviant Burials in Post-Medieval Poland.” *PLOS ONE*, (11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113564.g002.

Jarus, Owen. 2018. “Child 'Vampire' Was Buried 1,550 Years Ago in Italy.” *Live Science*, Oct 14, 2018. https://www.livescience.com/63824-child-vampire-burial-italy.html.

Nuwer, Rachel. 2014. “"Vampire Grave" in Bulgaria Holds a Skeleton With a Stake Through Its Heart.” *Smithsonian Magazine*, October 13, 2014. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vampire-grave-bulgaria-holds-skeleton-stake-through-its-heart-180953004/.

PBS. 2004. “Vampire Legend | Vampire-Slaying Ritual in Romania | Secrets of the Dead.” *PBS*, 2004. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/vampire-legend-vampire-slaying-ritual-romania/2343/.

Polcyn, Marek, and Elżbieta Gajda. 2015. “Buried with Sickles: Early Modern Interments from Drawsko, Poland.” *Antiquity* 89 (348): 1373–87. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2015.129.

Radio Poland. 2013. “Vampire graveyard found in Poland?” *Radio Poland*, 12 07, 2013. http://archiwum.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/141129.

Radley, Dario. 2022. “Remains of a “female vampire” have been unearthed in Poland.” *Archaeology News*, 09 04, 2022. https://archaeologymag.com/2022/09/remains-of-a-female-vampire-pinned-to-the-ground-have-been-unearthed-in-poland/.

Radley, Dario. 2024. “Medieval vampire burial unearthed in Chełm, Poland.” *Archaeology News*, September 12, 2024. https://archaeologymag.com/2024/09/medieval-vampire-burial-unearthed-in-chelm/.

Rapp, Joshua. 2017. “Burials Unearthed in Poland Open the Casket on The Secret Lives of Vampires.” *Smithsonian Magazine*, October 27, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/deviant-burials-poland-open-casket-secret-lives-vampires-180966970/.

Schofield, Matthew. 2010. “Romanian villagers decry police investigation into vampire slaying.” *McClatchy DC*, July 7, 2010. https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24587203.html.