Gruesome Discovery Shows 17th-Century Villagers Were Terrified of What Lurked in 'Grave 75'

6:04 PM ETDeveloping

Science Desk

Evidence shows that the grave was disturbed after the initial burial, and it seems that at this point they brought out the big guns, placing a sickle over her throat to deter her from climbing out of her grave again. Related: Nearly 80 Headless Human Skeletons Discovered At A Spooky Stone Age Site You could make the case that these precautions worked – after all, she then stayed put for more than 400 years.

Analysis of the bones revealed the individual here was female, aged between 17 and 19 years old at the time of death, but her cause of death remains unknown. Genetic analysis revealed that she may have had some Scandinavian ancestry on her mother's side, but she may have been born and raised in Poland.

Sickles and padlocks have been discovered in dozens of graves across Poland , reflecting a widespread fear of the dead returning. The research was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

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Sickles and padlocks have been discovered in dozens of graves across Poland , reflecting a widespread fear of the dead returning.
Analysis of the bones revealed the individual here was female, aged between 17 and 19 years old at the time of death, but her cause of death remains unknown.
Genetic analysis revealed that she may have had some Scandinavian ancestry on her mother's side, but she may have been born and raised in Poland.
Evidence shows that the grave was disturbed after the initial burial, and it seems that at this point they brought out the big guns, placing a sickle over her throat to deter her from climbing out of her grave again.
Related: Nearly 80 Headless Human Skeletons Discovered At A Spooky Stone Age Site You could make the case that these precautions worked – after all, she then stayed put for more than 400 years.
The research was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports .

Sources

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