Archaeologists have uncovered dozens of unusual burials at a 17th-century cemetery, including graves containing sickles, padlocks and stones placed on bodies.
More than 100 burials have been found at the site with at least a dozen described as “atypical”.
Researchers believe the cemetery may have been used for individuals who were feared or rejected by society.
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Professor Dariusz Poliński, who has led excavations at the site in Pień, Poland, for over 20 years, said the number of unusual graves is striking.
He explained that while such burials have been found elsewhere in Poland, they are typically rare.
Some of the graves include bodies buried face down, a practice believed to prevent the dead from rising.
Others were found with sickles placed across the neck or stones positioned on different parts of the body.
Experts say these measures were linked to historical fears of the dead returning to harm the living.
One of the most well-known discoveries at the site is a young woman dubbed “Vampire Zosia”, who was buried with a sickle around her neck and a padlock on her foot.
Researchers believe such objects may have been used symbolically to “lock” the body in place.
Other burials include a woman surrounded by stones who was found to have suffered from advanced syphilis, a disease that may have led to her being ostracised.
In another case, stones were placed on a boy’s chest and collarbones, while a separate grave contained a man buried with a young child lying across his legs.
Archaeologists also discovered the remains of a pregnant woman, with the fetus still preserved, which they described as a rare find.
Some elderly individuals were buried with stones pressed against their skulls, a practice thought to be linked to so-called anti-vampiric rituals.
Researchers say such customs were driven by fear during a period marked by war, famine and disease.
At the time, people often sought explanations for illness and death, sometimes blaming individuals believed to pose a supernatural threat.
Excavations at the site are ongoing, with further findings expected to be published in the coming months.
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