From ‘screaming’ mummies to headless Vikings – gruesome ancient corpses to creep you out on Halloween
ARCHAEOLOGISTS are used to digging up ancient corpses but some of them are far more shocking than others.
Below is a selection of the grisliest ancient corpse discoveries, including headless Vikings, screaming mummies and disturbing bog bodies.
Headless Vikings
These gruesome headless Vikings were found in the sunny seaside town of Weymouth in the UK.
Archaeologists discovered the mass grave unintentionally in 2009 and soon realised that all the skulls had been separated from the bodies.
It is thought that the 50 or so skeletons date back to between 970 and 1025 AD and were once invaders who were captured and executed by locals.
Screaming mummies
The first Egyptologists didn't know what they were in for when they started opening sarcophagi.
Due to the natural processes of decay, a lot of mummies look like they're screaming in their coffins.
Pentawer, the ancient Egyptian prince, is a famous example of a terrifying mummy that looks like they're still in pain.
Vampire corpses
Vampire corpses are so called because they are skeletons that clearly have a wooden stake or metal spike stabbed through their heart.
This was done when people believed that the corpse was not yet dead, probably due to decomposition processes that made it bloat and seemingly move.
Over 1000 vampire corpse graves have been unearthed in Bulgaria.
Tomb of the Sunken Skulls
This haunting discovery was made at the bottom of a prehistoric lake in Sweden in 2009.
The tomb was sealed off with stone tools, animals bones and the remains of 11 8,000 year old skeletons inside.
There is evidence that when these people died they were set on fire and stabbed through the heart.
Bog bodies
In 1950, experts found a bog body with a "face so fresh they could only suppose they had stumbled on a recent murder."
The corpse, referred to as the Tollund man, is probably the most well-preserved body from pre-historic times in the whole world.
A plaited leather noose wrapped tightly around his neck was found with the body, and this is probably what killed him over 2,300 years ago.
He was found in the same bog as another body called the Ellin Woman in Denmark.
It is likely he was sacrificed as an offering to the gods.
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In other archaeology news, Britain's version of Pompeii was only inhabited for about a year before it succumbed to a catastrophic fire, according to new findings.
The mystery of Peru's Nazca Lines may have finally been solved by bird experts.
And, here's a round up of some of the world’s most mysterious sunken civilisations.
Which ancient corpse did you think was the most gruesome? Let us know in the comments...
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