DEVIANT BURIALS: WHAT THE DEAD TELL US ABOUT FEAR, POWER & TABOO

Why were some people in the past buried with stones over their necks?Why were some pinned down, bound, or placed face down in graves?And were they really “witches,” “vampires,” or “criminals”… or something far more complicated?In this episode, we wander into the world of deviant burials: archaeological graves that break the “rules” of how people were normally buried. These unusual burials give us a window into fear, belief systems, social control, and the boundaries of community within ancient societies.From medieval “vampire burials” in Eastern Europe to face-down interments across the globe, to Iron Age bodies weighted with stones, and even colonial American burials with decapitation or “binding,” we explore what these choices really meant. Spoiler: it’s often less about “punishing monsters” and more about social anxiety, disease, marginalization, and ritual protection.Featuring insights for:Writers and world-buildersStudents of archaeology & anthropologyTrue crime fansHorror creatorsAnyone fascinated by how societies manage fearWe’ll dive into what deviant burials actually tell us, and why the dead who break the rules continue to haunt our imagination today.You can reach me at:[email protected] @ TikTok and Youtubefeildnotesfromthedead.com