Friday 9 November 2012

Rare skeleton of 'vampire' discovered in Britain with spikes through shoulders, heart and ankles

Long dismissed as myth and legend, the vampire is associated with spooky stories or - for many teenagers - a Twilight heartthrob.

But for those who lived in the Middle Ages, it was a deadly serious business - and they took extreme measures against anyone suspected of being able to haunt them in the afterlife.
Now, details of one of the few 'vampire' burials in Britain have emerged.

A new archaeology report tells of the discovery of a skeleton, dating from 550-700AD, buried in the ancient minster town of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, with metal spikes through its shoulders, heart and ankles.
It is believed to be a 'deviant burial', where people considered the 'dangerous dead', such as vampires, were interred to prevent them rising from their graves to plague the living.

Only a handful of such burials have been unearthed in the UK.

The discovery is detailed in a new report by Matthew Beresford, of Southwell Archaeology.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227701/Rare-skeleton-vampire-discovered-Britain-spikes-shoulders-heart-ankles.html#ixzz2BdaIDwve

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