Nail-pierced human skulls dated to the Old Rus' period in archaeological findings of the Southern Rus' are often viewed as evidence of the massacres of natives by Tatars. But historical and ethnographical materials show that skull piercing with nails as a means of execution or mutilation of enemy corpses was not common practice for the Mongolian invaders. There is no data indicating that they ever practiced such methods on the conquered peoples. The Mongols inflicted other tortures and mutilations on their defeated enemies. On the other hand, similar wounds on corpses were quite common for the East Slavs as a way of safeguarding the alive from the devilry, e.g. vampires.