Reconstructing the Face of a 17-Century Woman
Clip: Season 22 Episode 2 | 1m 44sVideo has Closed Captions
A forensic artist reconstructs the face of a woman buried as a vampire in 17-century Poland.
Forensic artist Oscar Nilsson has worked alongside Swedish police forces for decades, modelling the faces of crime scene victims. Now, he is tasked with reconstructing the face of “Zosia,” a woman buried as a vampire in 17-century Poland – and hopes to restore her human dignity in the process.
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SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
Reconstructing the Face of a 17-Century Woman
Clip: Season 22 Episode 2 | 1m 44sVideo has Closed Captions
Forensic artist Oscar Nilsson has worked alongside Swedish police forces for decades, modelling the faces of crime scene victims. Now, he is tasked with reconstructing the face of “Zosia,” a woman buried as a vampire in 17-century Poland – and hopes to restore her human dignity in the process.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipBack in Sweden, Oscar starts the process of reconstructing Zosia's face.
[Oscar] This is the scientific part of the process, where I try to be... objective.
I, I really try to forget everything I know about the burial, about her fate.
With information abou Zosia's age, weight, and health, Oscar can consult standardized anatomical measurements of tissue depth.
These details will enable him to create an accurate model of Zosia's face.
These measurements are then... transferred to these plastic pegs, and then I glue them to the skull.
Oscar begins to rebuild the woman's facial muscles using clay.
It's a skill he's perfected over 30 years of forensic facial reconstruction.
[Oscar] I'm used to reconstructing faces, but in this case, also, I'm looking forward to, to give her some... human dignity back.
There's growing evidenc the woman's physical appearance, potential malnourishment, striking facial features, and a large visible mark on her chest may have played a major role in her ultimate degradation of being buried as a vampire.
A Gruesome Discovery in Rural Poland
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In 2022, a team of archaeologists unearthed a strange burial in the Polish village of Pień. (2m 50s)
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Uncover the mystery behind the discovery of more than 50 "vampire" burials. (32s)
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SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.