Croatia A vampire was found in Pakrac cemetery. "They wanted to prevent him from returning to the living"AT THE ARCHEOLOGICAL site Stari Grad in Pakrac, a skeleton from the Middle Ages was found, buried in an unusual way - face down, writes MojPortal. Archaeologists believe that this is a so-called anti-vampire burial, a ritual that was supposed to prevent the deceased from returning to the living. This is the latest in a series of discoveries at the site that has been under investigation for six years.The grave was discovered within the remains of an older church, under the fortification walls built in the early 16th century due to the Ottoman threat. Although around 170 graves have been investigated at the entire site so far, this is the first in which a person was laid face down."Such a burial method is very unusual for the Middle Ages. There are several possible explanations in the professional literature, but most often such a position is associated with anti-vampire customs," explains archaeologist Krešimir Vacek from the Pakrac City Museum, who is leading the research.During the excavation, the elbow was first turned upwards, while the forearm was tucked under the body. A skull with major damage to the back was also found. Vacek adds that the position of the bones suggests that the deceased's hands were tied, but a full anthropological analysis will provide the final answer.Beliefs about life after deathTo understand this type of burial, it is necessary to know the medieval worldview. The deceased were usually laid on their backs in a west-east direction, with their heads to the west so that they could look east. It was believed that Christ would return from the east on Judgment Day, and that the dead would then rise and go to the Last Judgment. People of that time did not experience death as an immediate departure to heaven or hell, but as a waiting for the final judgment.
According to folk traditions, during this waiting, the restless deceased could return and threaten the living."They turned the person we found so that he was facing the ground. This was to prevent him from seeing Christ's arrival and rising on Judgment Day, but also from returning to the living before that," says Vacek.He adds that there is also an interpretation that extremely sinful people were buried in this way as a sign of humility before God, but he considers it less likely. He explains that this is the only such burial among the 170 discovered, and that there are already other examples of anti-vampire customs at the site.Fear of the restless deceasedIn the Middle Ages, the term vampire did not mean the elegant bloodsucker from popular culture. Fear was directed towards evil spirits and restless souls who were believed to cause diseases, misfortunes and the downfall of the community. Suspicion most often fell on people who died a violent or unusual death, the first victims of epidemics or people who stood out in some way.There were various ways to try to prevent the deceased from returning. The body could be tied up, weighed down with a stone, pierced, laid face down on the ground or an object was placed in its mouth. "Such actions should not be automatically interpreted as an expression of hatred. In a large number of cases, they stemmed from fear for their own lives and the safety of the community," explains Vacek.Previous discoveries at the siteThis is not the first such find in Pakrac. Two years ago, a skeleton was found in a valuable sarcophagus at the same site, with an animal skull, probably a horse's, placed in place of a human head. "We just received the results of the anthropological analysis of that skeleton. It showed that it was a woman between the ages of 35 and 45, with a herniated disc and arthritis," Vacek reveals.
The combination of Christian and pagan traditions is one of the greatest attractions of the Old Town. The site is associated with the arrival of Western European knightly orders, probably the Knights of St. John, who spread Christianity, but the population also retained its old customs, as evidenced by traces found in graves, such as dog teeth.https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/na-groblju-u-pakracu-pronadjen-vampir-zeljeli-su-sprijeciti-da-se-vrati-medju-zive/2820220.aspx?index_ref=naslovnica_vijesti_ostalo_d_0
>>540113675I know a guy who came back from the dead to drown his nephew. So, one night, the villagers stabbed his corpse through the heart. The police found out and some guys were arrested.
>>540114157was it the village rapist?
