'Vampire skeleton' unearthed in Poland

The skeleton. Image: Youtube

Archaeologist Slawomir Gorka, who is leading the dig at the site of the town's former marketplace, believes that the suspected 'vampire' was buried about 500 years ago.

The team was alerted by the fact that a rock had been wedged in the skeleton's mouth, and that the dead person's front teeth had been knocked out.

Furthermore, the skeleton's legs had been pierced through, hypothetically stopping the deceased from rising from the grave.

“This was done because for some reason, the deceased was feared,” Gorka told local news site kamienskie.info.

“It was not done for him, but for the community that lived here,” he added.

Last July, four skeletons were unearthed during a mandatory dig in Gliwice, southern Poland, and the remains appeared to have been buried in accordance with practices used to protect people from vampires. (nh)