By Tim Binnall
Researchers excavating an ancient cemetery in Italy discovered the remains of a ten-year-old child who had received a 'vampire burial.' The skeleton, which had a rock wedged in its mouth, was reportedly found at a site in the town of Lugnano where babies and toddlers were laid to rest following an outbreak of malaria during the 5th century.
Although a number of the bodies previously unearthed at the cemetery had odd occult items buried with them, like raven talons and toad bones, this particular find was surprising and somewhat unnerving to scientists."I've never seen anything like it," said an anthropologist working on the project, "it's extremely eerie and weird."
In announcing the discovery, the research team speculated that the 'vampire burial' was conducted as a way of ensuring that the child did not rise from the grave and, in turn, afflict more people with malaria. The find is, of course, not the first of its kind as a handful of other ancient 'vampire burials' have been discovered in parts of Poland and Italy in recent years. That said, why this specific child was chosen to receive the macabre 'treatment' is a mystery.