Deserted Medieval Village, Looking north from old Fish Pond, Attribution: Paul Allison
A certain people in medieval Yorkshire were so afraid of the dead that they chopped, smashed and burned their skeletons to make sure they stayed in their graves.
Archaeological research published by Historic England and the University of Southampton may represent the first scientific evidence in England of attempts to prevent the dead from rising and harming the living. The archaeologists studied 137 pieces of broken human bones dated back to the period between the 11th and 14th century. The most plausible explanation for the burn marks and cuts on the skulls and upper body bones was deliberate mutilation. Read more at The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/03/medieval-villagers-mutilated-the-dead-to-stop-them-rising-study-finds
Secrets of the Dead: Vampire Legend brings together scientists, historians, archeologists, a real-life modern day vampire slayer, and the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker to examine if the origin of the vampire lore lies in fact rather than fiction. Watch now and learn more.
And in other news…
Newly Discovered: A 3,700 year-old Pyramid in Egypt
The head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector, Mahmoud Afifi, said that an Egyptian excavation team has discovered the remains of a new pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis, about 40km south of Cairo, which dates back to the 13th Dynasty. Read more at Al Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/pyramid-remains-discovered-south-cairo-170403102437622.html