Nov. 7th

Witches and Vampires

But today is really about belief!

Belief in far-fetched ideas is common and understandable

People have held far-fetched beliefs for thousands of years

By looking at objects (material culture) archaeologists can learn things aboutpast odd behavior that other researchers (historians, sociologists) cannot.

So, holding far-fetched ideas is a common part of being human.

Archaeologists are anthropologists: they want to know what it means to be human

So, archaeologists should study the history of far-fetched ideas

POINT 1 for today example: witchcraft

POINT 2 for today example: Vampires

Getting into the mindset of someone who holds weirdbeliefs can help us understand archaeological remains.

Excavation in Corwall, England

Witchcraft: spells or curses that have the goal of doing something for oneself or to another.OFTEN INCLUDES OBJECTS!

Excavation of witchcraftdeposit

Embryos of Birds in the deposity

Witch bottle, Greenwich, England

(1640s)

Witch bottle, Essington, PA

(1740s)

Is there archaeological evidence of witchcraft in America?

Hoodoo: American Voodoo.

Is there archaeological evidence of witchcraft in America?

Paul Barber: Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality

Hollywood idea of vampire

The “real,” folkloric vampire

Vampire: a person who has died, but refuses to remain dead, and returns to the world of life to bring death to friends and neighbors.

Peter Plogojowitz:Serbian peasant, died 1725,

suspected of being a vampire

“After a subject by the name of Peter Plogojowitz had died, ten weeks past, it was revealed that in thissame village of Kisilova, within a week, nine people, both old and young, died also, after suffering atwentyfourhour illness. And they said publicly, while they were yet alive, but on their deathbed, thatthe abovementioned Plogojowitz, who had died ten weeks earlier, had come to them in their sleep,laid himself on them, and throttled them, so that they would have to give up the ghost. The othersubjects were very distressed and strengthened even more in such [beliefs] by the fact that the deadPeter Plogojowitz's wife, after saying that her husband had come to her and demanded his opanki, orshoes, had left the village of Kisilova and gone to another. And since with such people (which they callvampires) various signs are to be seen—that is, the body undecomposed, the skin, hair, beard and nailsgrowing—the subjects resolved unanimously to open the grave of Peter Plogojowitz and to see if suchabovementioned signs were really to be found on him. To this end they came here to me and, telling ofthese events, asked me and the local pope, or parish priest, to be present at the viewing. And althoughI at first disapproved, telling them that the praiseworthy administration should first be dutifully andhumbly informed, and its exalted opinion about this should be heard, they did not want to accommodatethemselves to this at all, but rather gave this short answer: I could do what I wanted, but if I did notaccord them the viewing and the legal recognition to deal with the body according to their custom,they would have to leave house and home, because by the time a gracious resolution was received fromBelgrade, perhaps the entire village—and this was already supposed to have happened in Turkishtimes—could be destroyed by such an evil spirit, and they did not want to wait for this.

Since I could nothold such people from the resolution they had made, either with good words or with threats, I went tothe village of Kisilova and viewed the body of Peter Plogojowitz, just exhumed, finding, in accordancewith thorough truthfulness, that first of all I did not detect the slightest odor that is otherwisecharacteristic of the dead, and the body, except for the nose, which was somewhat fallen away, wascompletely fresh. The hair and beard—even the nails, of which the old ones had fallen away—hadgrown on him; the old skin, which was somewhat whitish, had peeled away, and a new fresh one hademerged under it. The face, hands, and feet, and the whole body were so constituted, that they couldnot have been more complete in his lifetime. Not without astonishment, I saw some fresh blood in hismouth, which, according to the common observation, he had sucked from the people killed by him. Inshort, all the indications were present that such people (as remarked above) are said to have. After boththe pope and I had seen this spectacle, while the people grew more outraged than distressed, all thesubjects, with great speed, sharpened a stake—in order to pierce the corpse of the deceased with it—and put this at his heart, whereupon, as he was pierced, not only did much blood,completely fresh, flow also through his ears and mouth, but still other wild signs (which I pass by outof high respect) took place. Finally, according to their usual practice, they burned the often mentionedbody, in hoc casu, to ashes, of which I inform the most laudable Administration, and at the same timewould like to request, obediently and humbly, that if a mistake was made in this matter, such is to beattributed not to me but to the rabble, who were beside themselves with fear.”

1. The nose is more decayed than the rest of the face2. New skin underneath the peeling skin3. Blood at the mouth4. Blood gushing when stabbed5. Screaming when stabbed6. Hands still have grip.7. Grave wasdisturbed,as if guy climbed out of it.

Aspects of thecorpse that suggesthe is a vampire

How does knowing about peoples beliefs in vampires helpus understand and interpret archaeological remains?

The Celts

Beheaded people being excarnated by vulturesCatalhuyuk, Turkey, 6000 BC