Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Scientists bring face of 400-year-old ‘vampire’ back from the dead

Scentists say they want to bring Zosia back ‘as a human, and not as this monster that she is buried as’

Rich Booth
Reporting by Thomas Holdstock
Tuesday 05 November 2024 05:04 EST
Comments
Remains of the woman found at the 17th century cemetery for rejected people in the village of Pien, northern Poland, are revealed by Polish archaeologists from Nicolas Copernicus University in Torun
Remains of the woman found at the 17th century cemetery for rejected people in the village of Pien, northern Poland, are revealed by Polish archaeologists from Nicolas Copernicus University in Torun (REUTERS)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A woman accused of being a vampire has been brought ‘back from the dead’.

Using DNA, 3D printing and modelling clay, a team of scientists has reconstructed Zosia’s 400-year-old face, revealing the human story buried by supernatural beliefs.

Buried with a padlock on her foot and an iron sickle across her neck, “Zosia” was never supposed to be able to come back.

Entombed in an unmarked cemetery in Pien, northern Poland, the young woman was one of dozens feared by her neighbours to have been a “vampire”.

“It’s really ironic, in a way,” said Swedish archaeologist Oscar Nilsson. “These people burying her, they did everything they could in order to prevent her from coming back from the dead... we have done everything we can in order to bring her back to life.”

Nilsson said he wanted to bring Zosia back “as a human, and not as this monster that she is buried as”.

Zosia, as she was named by locals, was found in 2022 by a team of archaeologists from Torun’s Nicolaus Copernicus University.

The skeleton of a young woman buried with a padlock on her foot and an iron sickle across her neck as a way of allegedly preventing her from rising from the dead, is seen in Pien
The skeleton of a young woman buried with a padlock on her foot and an iron sickle across her neck as a way of allegedly preventing her from rising from the dead, is seen in Pien (via REUTERS)

Aged 18-20 when she died, analysis of Zosia’s skull suggests she suffered from a health condition which would have caused fainting and severe headaches, as well as possible mental health issues, Nilsson said.

The sickle, the padlock and certain types of wood found at the grave site were all believed at the time to hold magical properties protecting against vampires, according to the Nicolaus Copernicus team.

Zosia’s was Grave No. 75 at the unmarked cemetery in Pien, outside the northern city of Bydgoszcz. Among the other bodies found at the site was a “vampire” child, buried face down and similarly padlocked at the foot.

Little is known of Zosia’s life, but Nilsson and the Pien team say items she was buried with point to her being from a wealthy, possibly noble, family.

The skeleton of a young woman buried with an iron sickle across her neck as a way of allegedly preventing her from rising from the dead, is seen in Pien, Poland
The skeleton of a young woman buried with an iron sickle across her neck as a way of allegedly preventing her from rising from the dead, is seen in Pien, Poland (via REUTERS)

The 17th century Europe she lived in was ravaged by war, something Nilsson suggests created a climate of fear in which belief in supernatural monsters was commonplace.

Nilsson’s recreation began with creating a 3D printed replica of the skull, before gradually building layers of plasticine clay “muscle by muscle” to form a life-like face.

He uses bone structure combined with information on gender, age, ethnicity and approximate weight to estimate the depth of facial features.

“It’s emotional to watch a face coming back from the dead, especially when you know the story about this young girl,” Nilsson says.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in