The Vampire of Venice
In 1988, Hector Williams, an archeologist in charge of a dig at the island of Lesbos in Greece, unearthed the skeleton of a man.
Unearthing the skeleton was not strange. There were many skeletons in the area. How the body was buried was the odd part. The skeleton was found entombed under the foundations of a city wall. Further, heavy stones were placed on top of the coffin. If that weren’t enough, large iron spikes were driven into the neck, abdomen and ankles of the skeleton. (Williams)
The body was that of a 19th century middle aged man. As yet, there is little research done on this particular dig and even less speculation as to why this particular man was treated in such a fashion. Did he die of a disease? Was he a criminal? Did he have a mental or psychological dysfunction? (University of British Columbia)
It is clear that the people of the area, those responsible for burying the body in this manner, believed this man would rise from the grave if measures were not taken. The question is, why?
Unearthing the skeleton was not strange. There were many skeletons in the area. How the body was buried was the odd part. The skeleton was found entombed under the foundations of a city wall. Further, heavy stones were placed on top of the coffin. If that weren’t enough, large iron spikes were driven into the neck, abdomen and ankles of the skeleton. (Williams)
The body was that of a 19th century middle aged man. As yet, there is little research done on this particular dig and even less speculation as to why this particular man was treated in such a fashion. Did he die of a disease? Was he a criminal? Did he have a mental or psychological dysfunction? (University of British Columbia)
It is clear that the people of the area, those responsible for burying the body in this manner, believed this man would rise from the grave if measures were not taken. The question is, why?