Archaeologists studying a 17th-century cemetery in Pień, northern Poland, believe it may be the country’s largest burial ground for socially rejected individuals.
Led by Professor Dariusz Poliński, the team has uncovered over 100 graves, including an unusually high number of “atypical” burials linked to superstition and fear of the dead.
At least a dozen graves contain unusual features—far more than typically seen at similar sites. These include measures intended to stop the deceased from returning, reflecting widespread early modern beliefs about the undead.
One of the most famous burials is that of “Vampire Zosia,” a young woman buried with a sickle across her neck and a padlock on her toe. A 2024 facial reconstruction suggested she suffered from a chest tumour, possibly contributing to her exclusion.
Other cases highlight similar fears. A woman aged 30–50, buried with stones along her body, was later found to have advanced syphilis. Another grave contained a pregnant woman with a preserved fetus—an extremely rare discovery.
Researchers also found an older woman buried with stones pressed around her skull, likely to prevent her from rising. Evidence of a cranial aneurysm suggests she may have shown symptoms that alarmed others. In another grave, a man was buried with a small child placed across his legs, both weighed down with stones.
“The deceased, who caused concern among the locals, were buried with sickles around their necks, crushed with stones, and padlocked. Burials were sometimes carried out face down, due to the fear that the deceased would rise from their grave and harm the community. Laying them face down was believed to cause them to dig into the earth upon awakening. We also have such a burial in Pień. Sometimes the grave was dug up to check for decomposition. It was believed that the deceased could infect others, so several graves were sometimes exhumed from a single cemetery. Similar customs were continued later, even into the 20th century,” described Professor Poliński.
Such practices reflect the uncertainty of the 17th century, when war, famine, disease, and limited medical knowledge led communities to blame misfortune on supernatural forces.
Excavations at Pień continue, with further research expected to reveal more about those buried on society’s margins.
Header Image Credit : Projekt Pień
Sources : PAP
