In 1966, a homeowner was digging in his garden in Celakovice, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), when he discovered a series of human bones. Since it was at first believed to be a crime scene, the police were called in to investigate. The bones, however, were found to be centuries old, and it became clear that this unexpected discovery was a small cemetery.
A local archaeologist, Jaroslav Spacek, was called in to examine the bones. There were fourteen bodies in all, and they were adult remains. Spacek, after taking a good look at the skeletons realized that "anti-vampire" measures had been taken against each and every body in this small burial ground. Some bodies had been weighted with rocks; some had had a nail driven through the skull; all the bodies had been decapitated, and the heads were placed face downward.
1,000-year-old Vampire Burials
The burial ground is estimated to be approximately one thousand years old, dug at a time when the area had no houses or other buildings, and the ground (certainly not consecrated) would have been a safe distance from the nearest human habitation.
Given the care taken to properly inter the dead, the desecration of these bodies is a clear sign that, whoever or whatever these people were in life, those near them believed firmly that they would return after death - unless appropriate steps were taken to prevent them from rising from the grave. The Czech Republic is now a firmly skeptical society, but in the 10th century, things were very different - as shown by this gruesome relic of the past.
The locals clearly took great care to ensure that these fourteen adults would not become vampires, or if so, that they would be unable to wreak havoc upon the living. Another body was found near St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague; this body, that of a woman, was thrown into the grave with the hands tied behind the back, then weighted down with stones.
Tuberculosis Associated with Vampires
As for the reasons why these bodies were treated in such a manner, nobody can now tell. The bodies were not buried with any ornaments, any religious artifacts, or anything bearing a name. These adults may have been excommunicated; they may have been criminals; they may have practiced (or have been thought to have practiced) witchcraft; they may have committed suicide; they may have died of tuberculosis (once thought to be, not a disease, but a sign that a person had been attacked, and was slowly being drained of blood, by a vampire).
Celakovice is located roughly 25 kilometers from Prague, and offers a small museum for curious visitors. The town's website is also available in English, providing further information.
Erin Naillon - I am deeply interested in the supernatural, as well as history (especially women's history) and true crime. The paranormal has always ...
