'Vampire' graves discovered in Poland

Archaeologists have unearthed a group of 'vampire' graves with four beheaded skeletons, possibly dating back to the 16th century, in South Poland.
The graves were discovered during the construction of a roadway near the Polish town of Gliwice.
The skeletons were found with their heads removed and placed on their legs indicating that they had been subjected to an execution ritual designed to prevent the dead from returning.
A person accused of being a vampire in the past would be decapitated or hanged from a gibbet until decomposition resulted in the head separating from the body.
In both cases the head was then laid on the legs of the victim. It was believed that those who wanted to rise from the grave would be unable to do so if they could not locate their head, 'The Telegraph' reported.

Historians say that the practice was common in the Slavic lands during the decades following the adoption of Christianity by pagan tribes.

Scientists could not determine when the bodies in the newly-found graves were buried.
The skeletons were found with no jewellery, belt buckles, buttons or anything that could aid the task of determining their age, according to doctor Jacek Pierzak, one of the archaeologists on the site.
According to a report by The Independent, initial estimates suggest the skeletons date back to sometime around the 16th century.
The remains have been sent for further testing.