Children of the Night: "Vampire" Children in 17th Century Poland

Figure 1: Padlock found with the "vampire" child burial in Poland

 

Beginning in the 1400s but peaked in the 1500 and 1600s were the European Witch and Werewolf Trials.  Based on historical and bioarchaeological investigations we now know that individuals who were extremely sick, who were social outcasts, social isolates, and anyone who did not conform to the rules of the Church were targeted.  During this period it was common belief that dead werewolves resurrected into vampires.  This idea really took hold in Eastern Europe, leading to an abundance of “vampire burials” throughout this region.  Today’s blog post will address one specific example: the burial of at least one child (although up to three additional children) who were treated as vampires in death.

 

The discovery of the child vampire burial occurred outside of Pnie, a village located in northern Poland.  The 17^th century (1600s) burial was discovered by archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU), who had a couple of years previously discovered another vampire burial (of an adult) interred near this 5- to 7-year-old child.  This child’s remains were found buried face down and included a lower leg bone with a triangular padlock attached to it (Figure 1).  The combination of the face down burial and padlock suggest that the living individuals responsible who burying the child believed them to be a vampire.  It was commonplace to bury “vampires” face down so upon resurrection they could not dig their way out of the burial to attack the living.  The padlocked leg also locked the deceased into their burial, further preventing attacks on the living if vampiric resurrection occurred. 

 

An additional three children were also discovered during this excavation. These children were buried in a pit adjacent to the “vampire” child’s burial.  One of the children’s jaws had evidence of copper staining, which has been interpreted as the presence of a copper coin in their mouth.  There is no evidence that these children were also interpreted as vampires, although some have inferred that they may been considered that based on their proximity to the child and adult “vampires” in the cemetery. 

 

Collectively, the burials at this location are of individuals who could not afford to be buried in the formal cemetery, but this was designated location for any individuals viewed as outcasts or deviants in life.  This means this cemetery may be a fertile area for additional “vampire” or deviant burials (be it werewolves, witches, or other “monsters”).  Excavations at the site are ongoing, so additional discoveries may be announced.

 

Bibliography

Metcalfe, T. (2023, August 11). 400-year-old 'vampire child' found buried with its foot padlocked to stop it rising from the grave. LiveScience.

Milligan, M. (2023, August 7). Child Found Buried Face Down with "Anti-Vampire" Triangular Padlock. Heritage Daily.

World of Archaeology. (2023, August 21). Unearthed: Historical Child Burial with Unique Triangular Padlock . Retrieved from World of Archaeology: https://www.worldofarchaeology.com/unearthed-historical-child-burial-with-unique-triangular-padlock/

 

  

Historical Linguistics: Cannibalism

Christopher Columbus's first meeting with Caribbean Indigenous populations (Source: National Institute of Health)

Cannibalism.  A stomach twisting phrase that refers to the consumption of the flesh and body parts of individuals within one’s own species.  By and large, cannibalism is a universal taboo.  Most societies and cultures agree that eating other humans is an aberration.  As previously discussed on this blog there has been a long history of cannibalism within human societies, starting among our hominid ancestors (e.g., Paranthropus boisei and Homo antecessor) and being commonplace among early human groups (e.g., Paleolithic cultures) and contemporary cultures (e.g., the Fore).  Despite this long history of the act the term cannibalism is relatively new, which is the purpose of this blog post.

 

The original term for the consumption of members of one’s own species was anthrophagy, a Greek term that is a bit of a mouthful and a lot to chew on if you think about it.  This term was used academically, medically, and professionally for centuries but never really caught on in popular language.  A new term, cannibalism, did and has been used since the 1490s.  Cannibalism was coined by Christopher Columbus after Columbus and his crew shipwrecked on the shores of a Caribbean Island inhabited by various Indigenous populations, including the Taino (commonly known as the Arawak, another Columbus term). Columbus reported this particular Indigenous population told him about the other Indigenous populations on the island, who they referred to as Caribs or Canibs. The Caribs/Canibs were characterized as man eaters, meaning they were individuals who literally ate their enemies (the Tainos), and it was in this storytelling that Columbus ultimately became inspired and created the term cannibal.

 

Now, it is important to state that Columbus and the Taino Indians had no translators, so there was more than likely some misunderstandings by Columbus and his crew of what was actually communicated to them by the Tainos.  Today linguists and historical scholars claim that there may not have been any literal consumption of human flesh.  Instead the Tainos may have been explaining the capture of fellows Tainos who were never returned to their home group (as is often the case with prisoners of war throughout history).  It is believed Columbus exaggerated the ferocity of the Caribbean Indigenous populations to justify his mistakes (in not locating a new route to Asia) and subsequent actions (the mass genocide of Amerindians throughout the Caribbean as he searched for nonexistent gold).  This is supported by the actions of Queen Isabella of Spain, who was funding Columbus’s voyages and campaigns.  In her correspondence with Columbus and her crew she said that any Indigenous populations who did not eat other humans should be left free and not be enslaved, but those who cannibals, as Columbus stated, should be enslaved because they were nothing more than animals that needed to be controlled.  Conveniently for Columbus, his crew, and the Spanish monarchy, every Indigenous individual on the island was considered a cannibal at some point and thereby enslaved, justifying the enslavement and cruel treatment of the Caribbean Indigenous populations.  It also led the popular use of the term cannibalism and its continued use against groups of people viewed as “the other” or deviant outsiders by those in power.

 

References

Lukaschek, K. (2000/2001). The History of Cannibalism. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.

Schutt, B. (2017). Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books.

 

 

 

Applied Anthropologist Profile: Dr. Helen Fisher, Love Expert

Dr. Helen Fisher, Chief Scientific Advisor for Match.com

 

Dr. Helen Fisher, who passed away from cancer in 2024, was a world renowned anthropologist known for her extensive work on love.  Beginning with her doctoral research Fisher focused much of her research on understanding how and why people fall in love.  She also sought to understand biocultural patterns of love related to the psychology, culture, and biology of love; infidelity and divorce; and much more.  Today’s blog post will summarize Fisher’s broad career.

 

Helen Fisher (and her twin sister) was born in 1945 in New York City. Her father was an executive for Time magazine and her mother a floral designer.  From a young age Fisher was encouraged to “be useful as well as ornamental.”  This may have led her to study psychology and anthropology at New York University, as well as to the University of Colorado-Boulder, where she earned her Masters and Ph.D. in anthropology.  It was during her doctoral research that she began studying the biological anthropological aspects of love and set her on her career trajectory.

 

After graduating with her doctorate Fisher took on a short-term job as a research editor at Reader’s Digest General Books.  She moved on from here to a career in academia.  She took up teaching and research positions at Rutgers University in New Jersey, the New School for Social Research, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. 

 

It was also during this time that she published several books.  Her first book was published in 1982 and focused on the development of human female sexuality and the root of the nuclear family.  She followed this one up nearly a decade later with a book on the cross-cultural study of infidelity and divorce/marriage endings.  It was during her research for this book that she refuted the popular claim of the “seven year itch”, the idea that relationships end after seven years.  She actually identified that most relationships end at the four year mark.  The reason was simple: people could move on and find a better relationship, allowing them additional time to either have their first children or additional children.  Four additional books followed suit, including one that she submitted days before her death in August 2024.

 

In 2004 Fisher’s work caught the attention of the CEOs of Match.com.  They recruited her to work for their company to improve their mission: linking people up with their optimal love match.  It was here in her capacity as chief scientific advisor where she relied upon her biological anthropological expertise, delved into psychology and neuroscience, and drew on cultural anthropological subject matter to create the Fisher Temperament Inventory, a 62-part questionnaire derived from data collected from six million individuals.  This questionnaire was created through the use of brain scan and survey data collected and analyzed by Fisher and her team at Match.  The questionnaire continues to be used by Match today, which is part of the reason for its success in the matchmaking business.

 

While Fisher dedicated her career to studying love she was less lucky in it.  Her first marriage in the 1960s lasted four months, but it was in the years before her death that she managed to fall in love and married.  Their love story was anything but conventional.  Although short lived it was very fulfilling and left them both very happy. 

 

References

Fisher, H. (2024). Helen Fisher, Ph.D. Retrieved from Helen Fisher, Ph.D.: https://helenfisher.com/

Jones, N. (2021, February 10). Is Love a Biological Reality? Retrieved from Sapiens.org: https://www.sapiens.org/biology/biological-anthropology-love/

Telegraph Obituaries. (2024, August 29). Helen Fisher, scientist who scanned the brains of people in love and the brokenhearted. The Telegraph, pp. https://www.yahoo.com/news/helen-fisher-scientist-scanned-brains-150000011.html.

The Times. (2024, September 4). Helen Fisher obituary: popular academic on love, attraction and sexual behaviour. The Times of London.

 

Applied Anthropologist Profile: Dr. Genevieve Bell, Intel's Secret Weapon

Genevieve Bell (Source: J.R. Mankoff)

One could make a legitimate claim that Genevieve Bell was born to be an anthropologist.  Her mother was a well known Australian anthropologist, and Genevieve accompanied her mother throughout her field studies and work with Australian Aboriginal groups.  Genevieve followed in her mother’s footsteps as she went on to pursue her studies in anthropology.  She earned her Bachelors and Masters in the subject from Bryn Mawr College, followed by her Doctorate from Stanford. 

 

Upon completion of her degrees Genevieve taught at Stanford, but she did not find the work completely fulfilling.  When someone suggested she apply for a job at Intel, American multinational corporation and technology company that specializes in computers, she applied but was unsure how she would fit in.  She said as much during the interview.  Despite her doubts, she was offered the job, and one her first day her new employer said that she was selected because of expertise on women and the “rest of the world,” referencing the people and places outside of the American market. 

 

Genevieve’s first position at Intel was in Research and Development, and over time she led Intel’s first User Experience (UX) laboratory.  Her most recent position is as the Intel Fellow and a Vice President in the Corporate Strategy Office.  She advanced to this prestigious leadership position because of her sharp wit, critical eye, and open world view, incorporating the anthropological skills she learned as a child and through her educational experiences. 

 

Genevieve is credited in pioneering and creating several Intel products.  One is the China Home Learning PC.  This product directly came from Genevieve’s interviews with Chinese parents who were hesitant in purchasing computers for the home because they feared the PC would be a distraction to their children.  This specific PC allows users to limit computer use, allowing parents to prevent children from playing games or using the internet when they were supposed to be completing homework.  Another product she and her UX Laboratory team created was technology that allowed car owners to better sync their personal devices to their cars.  This was a path that went counter to where car markers were going, who felt consumers wanted more technological gadgets attached to their car.  Genevieve and her colleagues’ interviews of people throughout the world recognized that people want to use those gadgets outside of the car, hence why syncing personal, mobile devices was more important than creating gadgets in the car. 

 

In Genevieve’s own words, she focuses on creating “market-inspired, experience-driven and then technology-delivered” products, which is key to her success at Intel.  It is also why she has received numerous awards.  She has received the Fast Company’s 2010 “100 Most Creative People In Business and the 2013 Woman of Vision for Leadership award by the Anita Borg Institute.  She was also inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 2012.

 

Works Cited

Australia, G. o. (2011). Who is Genevieve Bell? Retrieved from Adelaide Thinkers in Residence: http://www.thinkers.sa.gov.au/thinkers/bell/who.aspx

Fields, R. (2015, July 16). The Culture Q&A: Intel's Genevieve Bell (Part 1). Forbes.

Singer, N. (2014, February 15). Intel’s Sharp-Eyed Social Scientist. New York Times.