A sickle at the throat and a lock on the foot: the tomb that reveals the fear of the dead

Archaeologists discovered in Sassari, Italy, the tomb of a young woman buried about 400 years ago with a large iron sickle over her throat and a triangular padlock fixed to her big toe. Experts interpret these objects as ritual measures to prevent the body from rising: the blade would cut the throat if the body stood up, while the padlock would seal her return to the world of the living, revealing the community's fear of the dead.

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