Europe News

Mar 6, 2009, 15:48 GMT

Archaeologists find female "vampire" skeleton in Venice

Venice, Italy - The skeleton of woman who was probably believed to have been a vampire when she died in the Middle Ages has been uncovered in Venice, news agency reported Friday. Archaeologists made the find on Lazzaretto Nuovo, one of the hundreds of islands that make up the lagoon city, the ANSA news agency reported. A brick found lodged in the skeleton's mouth suggests the woman's body was 'staked', University of Florence expert Matteo Borrini said. The procedure, according to Medieval superstition, prevented 'undead vampires' from sucking blood from the corpses of those buried near them, Borrini explained. The woman's burial is also probably linked to the belief that witches and vampires were responsible for spreading bubonic plague, the so-called 'Black Death' that killed millions of people in Europe in the Middle Ages. Lazzarretto Nuovo was probably used as a burial ground for victims of the plague, according to the experts.

And Also

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts - Cinema Blend
GASP: Goldstriker creates world's most expensive iPhone - The Tech Herald
Mysteries of "Zhu Zhu Hamsters," "Al Alberts," and "White House Party Crashers" Solved - PopEater
Chris Rock interview, Sons of Anarchy and Woody Allen shout out for 'Madagascar' star

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Rome's traffic woes: Stuck in traffic 11 days a year
Urinating tourist caught red-handed by Venice mayor
Venice mayor loses sex fest battle
Campaign to name babies after Mussolini finds "generous" donors
Italian homeless to get free caviar for Christmas

Latest Headlines in Europe

Older Talkback

Europe: Index

: News; Features; Video News

Latest Pics

Michaele Salahi

From Sites we Like

University says it's hiring someone to research lap dances. Job is certain to be a grind [Cool]
Late for your flight? No problem, just have your secretary email a bomb threat to the airport [Dumbass]
Purse-snatcher tries to rob "Geek Love" author Katherine Dunn, learns the hard way that authors can also be trained street boxers [Cool]

More Not News from Fark

In Monsters and Critics

: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Lifestyle; Movies; Music; News; People; Science & Nature; Sport; TV; Archives
Other Languages and Sites: Deutschland (Monsters and Critics); The Tech Herald; Free Games

Entertainment: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Movies; Music; People; Soundtracks; TV
Media: Celebrity Photos; Movie Pictures; Movie Trailers; Movie Posters; Theatre Stills; Celebrity Video; Music Video
Released this week: Movies - USA; Movies - UK; DVD - USA
Distractions: Online Games; Daily Crossword; Sudoku Classic; Daily Jigsaw

World News: US; UK; Americas; Europe; Middle East; Asia Pacific; South Asia; Africa; Business; Education; Health
Science and Tech: Science and Nature; Technology
Lifestyle: Autos; Fashion; Life; Travel

Corporate

: About; Advertise; Contact; The Team; Vacancies; Privacy; RSS; Site Map; Terms; Webmasters

The Fine Print

© 2003 - 2009 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.

Servers supplied by Servint