# Polish ‘vampire woman’ grave reveals 17th-century burial fears 2026-08-07T23:06:28+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet According to Times of India, archaeologists in Poland have uncovered a 17th-century cemetery near Pień with over 100 burials, at least 30 showing anti-vampire practices. The most striking find is a young woman buried with an iron sickle across her neck and a triangular padlock on her toe, meant to prevent her from rising as a revenant. A child aged five to seven was buried face down with a similar padlock. In 2024, Swedish sculptor Oscar Nilsson reconstructed the woman's face from her skull. Dariusz Poliński of Nicolaus Copernicus University leads the excavation, which challenges modern vampire myths, revealing local fears of the dead returning to harm the living. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: 17th-century, archaeology, burial, history, Poland, vampire Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/polish-vampire-woman-grave-reveals-17th-century-burial-fears/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/polish-vampire-woman-grave-reveals-17th-century-burial-fears/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.