The grave of a medieval 'witch' who appears to have been burnt alive before being hurriedly tossed into a pit has been unearthed in Italy.

The teenager's remains were covered with heavy stone slabs, which archaeologists believe were put in place to prevent her spirit rising.

Experts claim the girl, who is said to have been between 15 and 17 years old when she died, may have been branded a witch due to her pallid complexion caused by anaemia.

The grave of a medieval teenage 'witch' (pictured) who may have been burnt alive, has been discovered in Italy. She is thought to have been burnt before being thrown carelessly in a pit. Her grave was then covered with heavy stone slaps, which experts believe was 'to prevent her spirit rising'

The skeleton was unearthed at San Calocero in Albenga, Italy.

Archaeologists from the Pontifical Institute of Archaeology at the Vatican made the discovery in the same graveyard where another 'witch girl' was found last year.

She was buried face down to prevent her spirit from rising from the grave at just 13 years of age.

It is unlikely the two girls are related because while the first girl died in the 15th century, the newly-discovered skeleton is likely older.

Excavation director Stefano Roascio, told Discovery: 'We are waiting for the radiocarbon dating results. At the moment we can date the burial between the 9th and the 15th century.'

The most recently discovered skeleton is thought to have been just 4ft 8in (1.4 metre) tall when she was alive.

Experts believe she was burnt in another location before being buried hastily at San Calocero.

The skeleton was unearthed at of San Calocero in Albenga, Italy and the experts believe the girl may have unnerved locals enough to be have been given a deviant burial because she had pallid complexion caused by anaemia. The site of the excavation is pictured from above

Head of excavations at the site, Elena Dellù told Rossella Lorenzi: 'We can't say whether she was alive or not when she was burnt.

IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN THE TWO 'WITCH GIRLS'? It is unlikely the two girls are related because while the first girl died in the 15th century, the newly-discovered skeleton is likely older - possibly dating back to the 9th century. But they both received ‘deviant burials’ and were laid to rest outside the church of the martyr Calocero, where his relics are kept. ‘In Christian times, until a few centuries ago, sinners were often seen by the community as a having sick souls, and this was expressed through diseases. ‘Therefore… their salvation was concerned with healing the spirit, which could be through the healing power of the relics of saints and martyrs. ‘It is therefore possible that the community decided to bury [the girls] in the church of San Calocero because, thanks to the relics, they could find peace and be freed from the inexplicable evil.' Advertisement

'Fire attacked her body when soft tissues were still present, so it could have occurred before death or soon after.'

Dr Dellù told MailOnline: 'The peculiarity is the fact that [the body] has been burned before being placed in the tomb, while still presenting the soft tissue, in a so-called perimortal time, or shortly before or after death.

But what does seem certain is that she was buried quickly.

The position of the skeleton suggests the girl was thrown into a pit by her elbows, with her chin slumped against her breastbone.

Heavy stones were then placed over her grave.

While it is not known why she was treated in this way, the research team has speculated that it may have been because she was unusually pale and could have even fainted frequently.

Tests have revealed areas of spongy bone, or porotic hyperostosis, on the skull, which are the result of severe anaemia.

The condition, in which there is a deficiency of red cells or of haemoglobin in the blood, can make people seem pale and weary, which may in turn have spooked the medieval community.

Elsewhere, weakened enamel on the teeth, known as hypoplasia, indicates she was likely malnourished as a child and was not of high status in the town.

Archaeologists from the Pontifical Institute of Archaeology at the Vatican made the discovery in the same graveyard (marked on the map) where another 'witch girl' was found last year

It is possible she additionally had scurvy, like the first 'witch girl' discovered at the cemetery, but this can't be detected due to bone damage.

THE ITALIAN WITCH TRIALS During the 16th century, Polissena of San Macario was branded a witch in Lucca, Italy. She suffered from epilepsy and was burned alive at the stake in 1571. She was reported for sorcery and arrested for witchcraft and reports claim that under torture she confessed to the crimes. In the same trial, a second witch called Margherita di San Rocco was also said to have indulged in sorcery. Both Polissena di San Macario and Margherita di San Rocco were found guilty and sentenced to death. Advertisement

While the researchers are not certain the girl was considered a witch, Dr Dellù said she may have at least been seen to be possessed.

'In past times, people who were seen in life as 'different' because they did not conform to society or suffered from unexplained ills, were sometimes buried with noncanonical rituals, for example - face down, with large stones on the body, burned, for example,' she said.

She explained that people who suffered from epilepsy or 'were dumb', for example, were believed to be possessed by the devil, because doctors could not understand the reason for their behaviour.

A testimony by Margherita di San Rocco, a woman accused of being a witch who was burnt at the stake in 1571, claimed that if a body is buried face down, the soul would not be able to return to the body and it would die.

'This testimony is very impressive if we consider the practice of prone burials,' Dr Dellù added.

'For the girl burned and covered by large stones people would seem to be willing to "burn her sin" and not to allow her to rise thanks to the stones.'

In October last year, another young girl was found at the same site and was said to have been buried (remains pictured) face down to prevent her spirit from rising from the grave at just 13 years old. Experts believe she was considered dangerous in the Middle Ages, perhaps because of her pale complexion or blood disorder

'So for now we are collecting a lot of information to try to give a scientifically correct explanation of why these girls were buried with unchristian practices that show a willingness on the part of the community, to adopt rituals different from those generally used for ordinary Christians.'

Excavations at the site will continue next year.

Dr Dellù said that if radiocarbon dating shows the two girls are from the same period, the team will try and compare their DNA to see if they were related.