1. Polish “vampires”
In Poland (and sometimes other European countries), unusual “vampire” burials are periodically found. It dates from the Middle Ages or the New Age and was almost always furnished by peasants. A “vampire” attached to the neck of a man lying in his grave sickle or a scythe – as if for decapitation when trying to get up. Rarely, a stone was inserted into the teeth of corpses and the leg was locked, and sometimes the head or legs were amputated.
After examining many such finds, archaeologists came to the conclusion that in this way superstitious people tried to prevent a person from returning from the afterlife in the form of a “vampire”. The reasons for such a burial can be different: someone was buried like this for an unusual appearance and protruding teeth, someone because of sudden death. According to medieval beliefs (characteristic even for the United States until the 19th century), if a person dies suddenly or under strange circumstances, he can rise from the dead and disturb the living, starting with his own family.
If symptoms frightened other villagers, he would often bury those who died from the infection “vampire-style”. It is difficult to come up with all the criteria for classifying the deceased as a “vampire”, as this practice was common not among the elite, but mainly among the peasants and the poor.
2. Dog walking
Ancient images from Shuwaymis and Jubba in Saudi Arabia are very similar to the work of a modern illustrator, for example, for a children’s book. Between them scenes about 8 thousand years of hunting, where you can distinguish not only people with their bows stretched, but also dogs. With their watchful ears, short muzzles and curled tails, they are all small in size – hallmarks of domestic dogs, not wolves. In some scenes, dogs face off against wild donkeys. In other cases, mountain goats and gazelles bite their necks and bellies. And most of the time they get attached to one person – literally. In the stone images, the ropes running from the necks of dogs to humans are clearly visible. This was probably necessary to protect or train animals – although some experts believe the “leash” may be metaphorical.
Outwardly, the dogs resemble the modern Canaanite breed, whose representatives are still used today for protection and grazing.
3. With a bird in your mouth in a foreign land
Found in Tunnel Wielki Cave in southern Poland grave A girl buried 300 years ago. This fact alone makes burial strange – since the Middle Ages, Europeans stopped burying people in caves. However, experts were particularly stunned by the burial: two finch heads were placed in the girl’s mouth, never seen before or since in the history of archeology. The analysis showed that the girl died between the ages of 10 and 12 and suffered from insufficient growth throughout her life. The skeleton shows no signs of injury or any clue to cause of death, and there are no traditional grave goods.
DNA analysis has prompted scientists to unravel the mystery. The girl was not Polish, she was born in Finland or Karelia. In the middle of the 17th century, this area was occupied by the troops of the Swedish king Charles X, who was served by many Finns and Karelians. At that time, soldiers could go on expeditions with their families, and according to the beliefs of the inhabitants of Karelia at that time, those who died in the forest should be buried there. Probably for this reason, the girl was put to sleep in a forest cave, and the placement of birds in her mouth can be attributed to the now forgotten pre-Christian cult of the Karelian-Finnish region.
4. Ancient Greek magic
Classical Athens was remembered by posterity as a center of art and philosophy. But the life of the townsfolk was not limited to carving statues and reasoning about the essence of good. Recently, archaeologists discovered on the territory of the city III-IV, where the bones of a decomposed chicken were found. A century-old ceramic vessel. It didn’t look like someone’s favorite pet bird’s litter box or burial vase. Many signs, including a nail stuck in the pottery, pointed to the object’s magical purpose.
This version was confirmed when scientists deciphered the inscriptions on the ship. It turned out that the text contains 55 names and words that could mean “we connect”. Nails were often used in ancient curses and symbolized the immobilization or limitation of the victim’s abilities – simply put, the evil eye. According to experts, the curse may have been given by former participants in the court to their rivals or political opponents.
5. Soldier humor
Ancient people did not have pens or felt-tip pens to write insults on the walls. Therefore, curses had to be carved or carved in stone, along with obscene images. An example of such creativity discovered On the ruins of the ancient Roman camp on Hadrian’s Wall – a complex of defensive structures, protected from the raids of the Celts from the territory of modern Scotland.
The inscriptions and drawings are about 1700 years old, but modern people will easily understand their meaning. An anonymous writer carved “SECVNDINVS CACOR” on the wall and schematically depicted a penis. The first word in the inscription is a corrupted form of the proper name of one of his colleagues, Secundinus. The second word is misspelled “cacator” meaning “defecateer”.
6. School penalty
Now such educational practices are disappearing, but even at the end of the 20th century, schoolchildren can be forced to rewrite the same word (or symbol) hundreds and thousands of times as a punishment. It has become a cultural thing – for example, hooligan boy Bart from the Simpsons cartoon is regularly fined this way.
Recently, archaeologists discovered that ancient Egyptian students were forced to do the same. 18,000 pieces of ink-written clay were found in the Nile Valley – the Egyptian ostraca that played the role of a notebook. In thousands, the same symbol was repeated both on the front and the back. Archaeologists are sure that before them is not a magical or fortune-telling object, but a tool of punishment. Other pieces were receipts, educational texts, trade information and name lists.