Scientists recreated the appearance of a woman who lived 400 years ago — people of that time considered her a vampire

Scientists have created a 3D model of the face of a girl who lived in northern Poland in the 17th century. She was buried according to a special rite, because people of that time believed that she was a vampire.

This is reported by Sky News.

Female remains were found in 2022 by archaeologists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland. She was buried in an unnamed cemetery in the town of Pen, near the city of Bydgoszcz in the north of the country. Local residents named the unknown woman Zosya. When she was buried, an iron sickle was fastened around her neck, and a lock was locked on her leg. This was done so that Zosya would not "resurrect from the dead."

To "reanimate" the girl, researchers used her DNA, 3D printing and modeling clay. Zosya was between 18 and 20 years old at the time of her death. Scientists believe that during her life she fainted, suffered from severe headaches and may have had mental illnesses.

Specialists began the reconstruction by printing a copy of the skull on a 3D printer. Then layers of modeling clay were gradually applied to it to create a realistic face. To reproduce the girlʼs features, the bone structure was combined with data on gender, age, ethnicity and approximate weight.

"Itʼs ironic in a way. The people who hid her did everything to prevent her from coming back from the dead. And we did everything possible to bring her back to life," said archaeologist Oskar Nilsson.

Little is known about Zosyaʼs life, but researchers assume her noble origin. The woman lived in the 17th century. Due to the devastation of Europe after the war, peopleʼs faith in supernatural beings was on the rise. A "vampire child" was found in the same area where Zosyaʼs grave was. She was buried face down and also "immobilized" with a lock on her leg.

• In May 2024, scientists reconstructed the face of a Neanderthal woman who lived 75,000 years ago. She was found in the Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan and a 3D model of her appearance was created.
• Previously, the Swedish artist Oscar Nilsson and scientists from Poland restored the features of the Inca girl who was sacrificed and buried near the top of a dormant volcano in the Andes.
• At the end of 2022, Polish forensic experts recreated the appearance of the worldʼs first ancient Egyptian mummy of a pregnant woman ("Mysterious Lady"). She died in the 28th week of pregnancy.

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