Zosia of Pień

Who was Zosia, and why was her community so determined to keep her in the grave?

Zosia of Pień: The 400-Year-Old Grave and the Science of a Non-Normative Burial examines the archaeological discovery of a young woman buried approximately four centuries ago in Pień, northern Poland. Known as Zosia, the woman was discovered in an unmarked seventeenth-century cemetery with an iron sickle positioned across her neck and a padlock attached to her foot, evidence of unusual mortuary treatment associated with fears surrounding the dead.

Drawing on archaeological investigation, osteological assessment, ancient DNA, stable-isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating, textile examination, and facial reconstruction, this book examines what science can establish about Zosia's biological identity, childhood origins, health, social position, and burial circumstances. It considers the wider cemetery population and the historical practices used to control corpses believed to pose a danger to the living.

Particular attention is given to the distinction between archaeological evidence and later interpretations of "vampire" burials. The book examines apotropaic practices, unusual interments, seventeenth-century beliefs, and the scientific limitations of reconstructing an individual's life and death from centuries-old human remains.

Zosia's grave provides a rare opportunity to examine how biological evidence, archaeological material, and historical belief can be studied together while maintaining appropriate scientific caution.