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ITALY – According to a statement from the University of Arizona, archaeologists have made a disturbing discovery in an ancient Roman cemetery in Italy in October.
Archaeologists from the AU and Stanford University, as well as Italian archaeologists, have uncovered the skeletal remains of a 10-year-old child living in Necropolis of the Bambi (or the baby cemetery) in Lugnano, which dates back to the middle of the fifth century.
The researchers say that a deadly epidemic of malaria swept the region during this period, killing many young children.
The remains of the 10-year-old girl, whose age has been determined based on dental development, have not yet been subjected to DNA testing. But it was found that the child had a dental abscess, a side effect of malaria.
What is strange is that the skeleton of the child was found with a rock inserted in the mouth. According to archaeologists, the position of the child's jaw and the marks of teeth on the surface of the stone indicate that it was intentionally placed. The 10-year-old corpse was the first body found in the cemetery with a stone in its mouth.
The researchers say the rock may have been placed there to prevent the disease from spreading and to keep the body in its grave.
"Locally, they call him the" vampire of Lugnano ", said archaeologist David Soren in the statement.
This may sound a bit odd, but archaeologists say similar burials have been documented in other places.
For example, in Venice, a 16-year-old girl dubbed the "vampire of Venice" was found with a brick in her mouth. In England, last year, a man of the third or fourth century was found face down, the language removed and replaced by a stone, according to archaeologists.
These types of burials are often referred to as vampire burials, as they were associated with the belief that the dead could resurrect and spread diseases to the living, according to the researchers.
Ancient Romans often used magical measures to try to control the spread of diseases; Archaeologists had previously discovered infant and toddler bones in the cemetery, alongside objects such as crow's talons, toad bones, bronze cauldrons filled with ashes, and the remains of puppies apparently sacrificed.
They had also previously discovered the body of a 3-year-old girl who had stones on her hands and feet – another precaution for keeping the dead … well, dead.
"We know that the Romans were very concerned about this and would even go so far as to use witchcraft to prevent the evil – anything that contaminates the body – from going out," Soren said.
Archaeologists said that with this recent discovery, they hoped to learn more about the devastating malaria epidemic and the community's response to the epidemic.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was written by 12 News News employees, Mackenzie Concepcion.
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