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Article: THE READ: ; 'Undead' unearthed in Venetian dig; Skull of woman found defaced by brick set in jaw

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Charleston Gazette
Article date:
March 14, 2009
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ROME - An archaeological dig near Venice has unearthed the 16th- century remains of a woman with a brick stuck between her jaws - evidence, experts say, that she was believed to be a vampire.

The unusual burial is thought to be the result of an ancient vampire-slaying ritual. It suggests the legend of the mythical bloodsucking creatures was tied to medieval beliefs in how diseases spread and what happens to bodies after death, experts said.

The well-preserved skeleton was found in 2006 on the Lazzaretto Nuovo island, north of Venice, amid other corpses buried in a mass grave during an epidemic of plague that hit the city in 1576.

"Vampires don't exist, but studies show people at the time ...

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