A 16th century Italian “vampire” was buried with a brick in her mouth

An investigator has reconstructed the face of a 16th-century Italian woman whose burial style suggests she was believed to be a vampire.

The woman, who was estimated to be around 60 years old at the time of her burial, was unearthed in a mass grave for medieval plague victims in Venice, in 2006. What caught researchers’ attention was the placing of a brick in his mouth, a practice associated with preventing supposed vampires from feeding on the dead.

According to the forensic investigator Cicero Moraes, the placement of the brick would have been a protective measure for prevent the alleged vampire woman from feeding on the bodies of other victims of the plague buried next to him. This reflects the widespread paranoia and fear that surrounded the outbreak of bubonic plague in Europe during the medieval period.

Using scans of the remains and historical data, the Brazilian 3D designer meticulously recreated the woman’s features, showing what she would have looked like more than four centuries ago.

The significance of this discovery goes beyond mere curiosity, offering valuable information about the rituals and beliefs of the time. Matteo Borrini, a forensic anthropologist at John Moores University, described the investigation as groundbreaking, marking the first successful reconstruction of a vampire exorcism ritual through archaeology.

Quoted by the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, Borrini explained that it was believed that the act of placing a brick or stone in the mouth of a suspected vampire deprived it of sustenance, thus neutralizing its threat.

Analysis revealed that the woman was of European descent, belonged to the lower class and consumed mainly cereals and vegetables. These details provide valuable clues about their social status and eating habits during the 16th century. The site of the mass grave where the woman was found is associated with a 14th century sanatorium used to treat plague victims.