RESEARCHERS RECREATED THE FACE OF A 16TH-CENTURY ‘VAMPIRE’ BURIED WITH A BRICK INSIDE HIS MOUTH

Sat 13 April 2024:

The scientists replicated the visage of a 16th-century woman, who was thought to be a vampire by the Italian people, bringing a scary narrative alive.

In the rebuilt face, a brick appeared lodged in her mouth, presumably to prevent her from eating up the deceased.

The story behind this…

The story of the vampire women started when a mass grave was found on the Venetian island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, a location which was used as quarantine during the bubonic plague in the late 1500s and 1600s.

The archaeological studies in 2006 discovered some bodies which were buried centuries back.

According to forensic researcher Cicero Moraes, “When they supposedly identified a vampire, one of those responsible for the plague according to popular myth at the time, they introduced the stone [brick] as a protective element, preventing it from feeding and also from infecting other people.”

Scientists solve the mystery of brick

Moraes used reconstruction technology to investigate the prospect of a brick becoming lodged within her mouth while she was still alive, “without damaging the teeth and even the soft tissue.”

Ideally, it would have been easier to insert the brick into her mouth after she died.

There were also theories that a graverobber may have placed the brick inside the mouth of the corpse to “exorcise” her so that she would not bite and infect others after dying.

According to previous studies, the skull belonged to a lower-class European woman, who died at the age of 61.

As per the new study, the skull was recreated by the scientists and concocted a “brick” from styrofoam so as to determine if it was placed inside her mouth before or after death.

“The researchers found that when observing the body with the shroud, those responsible for the burial noticed a depression in the mouth region, indicating potential chewing,” Moraes said.

Although many concerns about this centuries-old riddle remain unsolved, Moraes believes he has answered whether it is “possible to insert a brick with those dimensions into the oral cavity, keeping the bone and perhaps soft tissue anatomical structures intact.”

His response is: “The abundance of available material indicated yes.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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