The woman in the photo above was buried with a sickle placed across her neck.
Apotropaic observances-traditional practices intended to prevent evil-were not uncommon in post-medieval Poland, and included specific
treatment of the dead for those considered at risk for becoming
vampires. Excavations at the Drawsko 1 cemetery (17th–18th
c. AD) have revealed multiple examples (n=6) of such deviant burials
amidst hundreds of normative interments... These data indicate that
those targeted for apotropaic practices were
not migrants to the region, but instead, represented local individuals
whose social identity or manner of death marked them with suspicion in
some other way.
The above from the abstract. The rest of the report at the link
includes an extended discussion of beliefs about vampires and the use of
strontium isotopes in forensic archaeology.
This isn't the first time we've seen a sickle employed on a deviant burial. Weights like stones and bricks are more common. .
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