{"id":1313,"date":"2026-02-09T07:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T07:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=1313"},"modified":"2026-02-09T07:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T07:22:14","slug":"face-of-a-vampire-revealed-science-rebuilds-likeness-of-man-decapitated-after-death-to-stop-him-coming-back-science-climate-tech-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=1313","title":{"rendered":"Face of a ‘vampire’ revealed: Science rebuilds likeness of man decapitated after death to stop him coming back | Science, Climate & Tech News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The face of a “vampire” whose remains were posthumously mutilated to prevent them rising from the dead can be seen for the first time in more than 400 years.<\/p>\n

Discovered in a grave at Racesa, a fortress in eastern Croatia<\/a><\/strong>, the body had been exhumed, beheaded and reburied face down beneath heavy stones.<\/p>\n

And since the desecration cannot be explained by environmental<\/a><\/strong> factors, experts believe it was done to stop the dead man returning as a vampire.<\/p>\n

Now the face of the deceased can be seen for the first time in centuries, after scientists rebuilt his likeness from his skull.<\/p>\n

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\n The reconstructed face starts to take shape. Pic: Cicero Moraes
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Archaeologist Natasa Sarkic, part of the excavation team, said the fear inspired by the man in death may stem from the fear he inspired in life.<\/p>\n

She said: “Bioarchaeological analysis showed that this man often participated in violent conflicts, and died a violent death.<\/p>\n

“He experienced at least three episodes of serious interpersonal violence during his lifetime.<\/p>\n

“One of those attacks left his face disfigured, which could cause fear and repulsion, leading to social exclusion.<\/p>\n

“Before even recovering from the penultimate trauma, he sustained a final fatal attack.”<\/p>\n

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\n Photo shows the skull of the ‘vampire’ in situ. Pic: Natasa Sarkic
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\n The deadly head wound that killed the Racesa ‘vampire’. Pic: Natasa Sarkic
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She continued: “Individuals who died violently, behaved violently in life, or were considered sinful or socially deviant, were believed to be at risk of becoming vampires.<\/p>\n

“He may have been regarded as a ‘vampire’, or a supernatural threat due to his facial disfigurement and his marginal lifestyle, characterised by repeated interpersonal violence.<\/p>\n

“Such beings were thought to be restless, vengeful, and capable of harming the living, spreading disease and killing people or livestock.”<\/p>\n

Dr Sarkic said that, in the Slavic tradition, the soul remains attached to the body for about 40 days after death.<\/p>\n

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\n The exacavation at Racesa fortress. Pic: Muzej Nova Gradiska
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In this time, various preventative measures could be used to prevent the dead from returning as vampires.<\/p>\n

These included staking, burning or beheading the corpse, burying it face down, weighing it down with stones and binding the limbs.<\/p>\n

This burial therefore showed “practices commonly associated with ‘anti-vampire’ rituals at the time”, Dr Sarkic said.<\/p>\n

To complete the reconstruction, graphics expert Cicero Moraes started by virtually rebuilding the man’s skull using data from a CT scan.<\/p>\n

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\n The reconstruction of the skull in progress. Pic: Cicero Moraes
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“Although the skull was somewhat fragmented at the time of its discovery, it was possible to reconstruct and digitise it,” Dr Sarkic said.<\/p>\n

More data from living donors was then used to plot the likely placement of facial features, and the thickness of soft tissue in different places across the skull.<\/p>\n

A technique called anatomical deformation was also used, whereby a donor’s head is virtually adjusted until it matches the subject’s skull, revealing a potential face.<\/p>\n

Combining these approaches revealed an objective face, based solely on the shape of the skull, without subjective features like hair or skin tone.<\/p>\n

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\n The objective version of the reconstructed face. Pic: Cicero Moraes
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A second version of the face is more artistic, introducing some of these speculative elements for a more life-like recreation.<\/p>\n

Mr Moraes said it was a “hostile, threatening” likeness.<\/p>\n

“The facial scar and other injuries obtained during his life are quite a significant sign that his life may have been rather turbulent,” he said.<\/p>\n

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\n The final version of the reconstructed face. Pic: Cicero Moraes
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The Racesa “vampire” lived in the 15th or 16th century, was roughly 5ft 4in tall, and is believed to have died between the ages of 40 and 50.<\/p>\n

Given his injuries, he may have been a soldier, or simply a person accustomed to violent encounters.<\/p>\n

He was buried inside what seems to have been a church, though his grave was in the “the most disfavoured spot” along the wall.<\/p>\n

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\n The grave of the Racesa ‘vampire’. Pic: Natasa Sarkic
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And it seems his head was literally pulled from his body, since there are no cut marks consistent with decapitation on his neck, skull and shoulders.<\/p>\n

His grave was discovered in 2023 and is one of more than 180 burials found in the fortress, which stood 70 miles southeast of Zagreb.<\/p>\n

Further examples of vampire belief can be found elsewhere in Europe, including more desecrated graves in Poland.<\/p>\n

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\n Pic: Natasa Sarkic
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\n Pic: Cicero Moraes
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In Serbia, meanwhile, the body of Petar Blagojevic was staked through the heart, and burnt as a suspected vampire after his death in 1725.<\/p>\n

While Jure Grando Alilovic, a Croatian villager who died in 1656, is described as a vampire in historical records.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong>
Face of ‘most important’ 8,500-year-old American revealed
Face of 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman reconstructed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Racesa itself is believed to have been occupied first by the Templars, then the Knights Hospitaller, and finally by the local nobility.<\/p>\n

Mr Moraes, Dr Sarkic and their co-authors published their study in the journal OrtogOnLineMag<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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