简介：NationalGeographicexplorescenturiesofvampireloreandlegend—unearthingnewscienceandinsightsonsuperstitionandpsychology.DidvampiresroamtheearthinthetimeofMichelangeloandLeonardodaVinci?Historicalrecordsindicatethatpeoplethoughtsoandevendescribehowtosafelyburythem.Now,morethan400yearslater,a16th-centurymassgraveisunearthednearVenicethatincludesaskeletonwithabrickapparentlyinsertedbetweenthejawsoftheskull.Thisappearstobeevidenceofamacabreritualdesignedto"kill"avampireandsparksahighlyunusualforensicinvestigation.　　Formostofus,thevampireisafictionalcountwhobecameahorrormovieicon.Butistheremoretothelegendthanfiction?Dotheundeadactuallywalkamongus?Fromaself-proclaimedmodern-dayblood-drinkingvampire,toabishopwhoclaimstohaveexorcisedvampiresanddemons,toexpertsinanthropology,forensics,folkloreandvampirism,IsItReal?Vampiresshedslightonwhythisarchetypalimagehashauntedusforsolong.　　Venice,1575-thejeweledcityofnorthernItalyisinthethroesofunimaginablehorror.Oneoftheworstplaguesevertostrikemankind:theBlackDeath.Massgravesswellthousandsofbodies.　　Alegendgrowsthatavampireknownasa"Shroud-eater"isthecauseoftheplague.TheShroud-eaterfeastsoncorpses,thenrisesfromtheearthtoinfecttheliving.MorethanfourhundredyearslaterItalianforensicanthropologistandCSIspecialistMatteoBorrinileadsateamexcavatinga16thCenturymassgraveononeofVenice'soutlyingislands.Heuncoversaskeletonunlikeanyhehadeverseenbefore.Abrickappearstohavebeeninsertedbetweenthejawsoftheskull.Why?.Theanswershockshim.Hebelievestheobjectwaspartofamacabreritualdesignedtokillavampire.ThediscoverylaunchesBorrinionaforensicinvestigationunlikeanyhehaseverattempted-asheattemptstoputaface-alife-totheVampireofVenice.…