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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:02 --> 00:00:08 vampires night lurking creatures that 2 00:00:06 --> 00:00:10 prey on our deepest fears at the margin 3 00:00:08 --> 00:00:13 between life and death 4 00:00:10 --> 00:00:15 fiction and fantasy have molded our 5 00:00:13 --> 00:00:17 perception of these night stalkers but 6 00:00:15 --> 00:00:21 what is the truth behind the myth of the 7 00:00:17 --> 00:00:24 vampire vampires were somewhere between 8 00:00:21 --> 00:00:26 a nuisance and in danger they could 9 00:00:24 --> 00:00:28 curdle the milk in your cows they could 10 00:00:26 --> 00:00:32 steal your sheep they could physically 11 00:00:28 --> 00:00:35 attack you or your family now forensics 12 00:00:32 --> 00:00:38 medicine and science are uniting to 13 00:00:35 --> 00:00:42 expose the facts behind the fiction 14 00:00:38 --> 00:00:44 natural trace of decomposition can build 15 00:00:42 --> 00:00:47 into the appearance of the vampire the 16 00:00:44 --> 00:00:51 Living Dead they're proving vampires are 17 00:00:47 --> 00:00:54 much more than simple horror stories 18 00:00:51 --> 00:00:57 this takes replace their favorite things 19 00:00:54 --> 00:01:01 to stop this man from transforming 20 00:00:57 --> 00:01:04 himself for some people vampires are 21 00:01:01 --> 00:01:06 still a terrifying reality 22 00:01:04 --> 00:01:09 [Music] 23 00:01:06 --> 00:01:12 I saw him coming at night they were 24 00:01:09 --> 00:01:16 sucking my blood this is my pitch book I 25 00:01:12 --> 00:01:18 used it to remove his heart to unlock 26 00:01:16 --> 00:01:21 the secrets of the vampire will travel 27 00:01:18 --> 00:01:24 across Europe and Beyond and find a 28 00:01:21 --> 00:01:27 proof that could even upgrade vampires 29 00:01:24 --> 00:01:48 from creatures of legend to historical 30 00:01:27 --> 00:01:51 fact in 1897 a mysterious boat's slowly 31 00:01:48 --> 00:01:53 floated it Swain would be harder than 32 00:01:51 --> 00:01:57 all these coast of England everyone on 33 00:01:53 --> 00:01:58 board was either missing or dead the 34 00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 very instant she was touched an immense 35 00:01:58 --> 00:02:03 dog sprang up on deck from below and 36 00:02:01 --> 00:02:05 running forward jump from the bow onto 37 00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 the sand making straight from steep 38 00:02:05 --> 00:02:09 cliff where the churchyard hangs over 39 00:02:07 --> 00:02:11 the lane it disappeared into the 40 00:02:09 --> 00:02:13 darkness which seemed intensifies just 41 00:02:11 --> 00:02:16 beyond the focus of the search right 42 00:02:13 --> 00:02:18 with these words Bram Stoker's infamous 43 00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 vampire Dracula was introduced to the 44 00:02:18 --> 00:02:23 world and entered the popular psyche 45 00:02:20 --> 00:02:25 everything everything that vampires in 46 00:02:23 --> 00:02:28 contract 47 00:02:25 --> 00:02:31 the archetypal image of the vampire as 48 00:02:28 --> 00:02:33 we know it but where did Stoker's tale 49 00:02:31 --> 00:02:35 of gothic horror originate and could 50 00:02:33 --> 00:02:42 there be a real-life figure behind his 51 00:02:35 --> 00:02:45 creation vampires exist in every culture 52 00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 china's shanxi 53 00:02:46 --> 00:02:58 yerim a yahoo from australia he indian 54 00:02:51 --> 00:03:01 ezra park the jaracaca of brazil or the 55 00:02:58 --> 00:03:06 many european incarnations such as the 56 00:03:01 --> 00:03:12 Strix Strigoi Rico Lucas revelant poopy 57 00:03:06 --> 00:03:14 vampire Drac all such creatures predate 58 00:03:12 --> 00:03:18 the Bible yet they weren't just myths 59 00:03:14 --> 00:03:20 they were very real reanimated corpses 60 00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 that feed on the living to prevent their 61 00:03:20 --> 00:03:24 own decay 62 00:03:21 --> 00:03:26 [Music] 63 00:03:24 --> 00:03:28 damn Jones is an author and historian 64 00:03:26 --> 00:03:33 with a particular interest in society's 65 00:03:28 --> 00:03:35 portrayal of vampires the rules in 66 00:03:33 --> 00:03:37 vampire stories in Europe but it really 67 00:03:35 --> 00:03:39 comes to a head in the 18th century when 68 00:03:37 --> 00:03:41 the under theologian Callum I started to 69 00:03:39 --> 00:03:44 get a dossier of vampire tales actually 70 00:03:41 --> 00:03:47 in an attempt to debunk vampire myth 71 00:03:44 --> 00:03:49 unfortunately what that does is give a 72 00:03:47 --> 00:03:51 story's legitimacy because they're being 73 00:03:49 --> 00:03:54 engaged with by the scientific men at 74 00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 the age 75 00:03:55 --> 00:04:00 by the turn of the 19th century the 76 00:03:58 --> 00:04:03 vampire myth starts feelings of Gothic 77 00:04:00 --> 00:04:06 literature and so you have Polidori and 78 00:04:03 --> 00:04:08 stuff like the vampire really template 79 00:04:06 --> 00:04:12 for what Bram Stoker does when he writes 80 00:04:08 --> 00:04:14 Dracula and every time you have the 81 00:04:12 --> 00:04:17 vampire story reinvented it tightly 82 00:04:14 --> 00:04:18 reflects the preoccupations and the 83 00:04:17 --> 00:04:21 concerns of the society that's 84 00:04:18 --> 00:04:23 reinventing in the 20th century you have 85 00:04:21 --> 00:04:25 lost Farrar too and there's a kind of 86 00:04:23 --> 00:04:27 strain of anti-semitism in it in Hammer 87 00:04:25 --> 00:04:30 horror the vampire stories a lot more 88 00:04:27 --> 00:04:32 bloody it's a lot more violent in n 89 00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 Rice's interview with a vampire 90 00:04:32 --> 00:04:38 you have a real undercurrent of 91 00:04:33 --> 00:04:40 homosexuality and when you get to blade 92 00:04:38 --> 00:04:42 say in the late 90s it is sort of 93 00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 reciting futurism that again 94 00:04:42 --> 00:04:47 characteristic of that society 95 00:04:44 --> 00:04:50 fictional vampires continue to reflect 96 00:04:47 --> 00:04:52 our morality today if you look at the 97 00:04:50 --> 00:04:54 21st century the Twilight movies and 98 00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 books the vampires the geek but actually 99 00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 there's a beautiful story in there as 100 00:04:55 --> 00:05:00 well I mean that's totally 21st century 101 00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 models all over 102 00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 preying on our ethics was no doubt at 103 00:05:03 --> 00:05:09 the forefront of Stoker's mind when he 104 00:05:05 --> 00:05:11 dreamt up Dracula if this symmetry with 105 00:05:09 --> 00:05:15 account first bites Lucy Westenra to 106 00:05:11 --> 00:05:17 impure a 19 year old virgin she 107 00:05:15 --> 00:05:19 eventually transformed into a lusty 108 00:05:17 --> 00:05:23 vampire herself who terrorizes North 109 00:05:19 --> 00:05:26 London biting young children and this 110 00:05:23 --> 00:05:27 mixture of sex and scandal that Stoker 111 00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 was doing pretty deliberately to 112 00:05:27 --> 00:05:31 titillate and to scare under shock his 113 00:05:29 --> 00:05:35 audience probably helped build a sales 114 00:05:31 --> 00:05:37 figures at the same time Bram Stoker's 115 00:05:35 --> 00:05:41 Dracula is so successful it hasn't been 116 00:05:37 --> 00:05:43 out of print for over a century yet 117 00:05:41 --> 00:05:45 unlike Stoker's count the real-life 118 00:05:43 --> 00:05:48 vampires of history were not charismatic 119 00:05:45 --> 00:05:50 gentleman with a black cape mesmerizing 120 00:05:48 --> 00:05:54 stare and upon shock for nubile young 121 00:05:50 --> 00:05:56 women the vampires of the Greek folklore 122 00:05:54 --> 00:05:58 will not glamorous at like the Hollywood 123 00:05:56 --> 00:06:01 vampire 124 00:05:58 --> 00:06:03 they were bloated corpses that spread 125 00:06:01 --> 00:06:07 all diseases you're not going to get 126 00:06:03 --> 00:06:09 people fooling over deformed 127 00:06:07 --> 00:06:12 Mediterranean peasants slobbering along 128 00:06:09 --> 00:06:15 biting chunks out of your breasts now 129 00:06:12 --> 00:06:17 recent discoveries on a small Greek 130 00:06:15 --> 00:06:20 island are revealing who these creatures 131 00:06:17 --> 00:06:22 really were and what it took to become 132 00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 one 133 00:06:23 --> 00:06:28 professor Hector Williams has been 134 00:06:26 --> 00:06:32 conducting archeological research on the 135 00:06:28 --> 00:06:32 Greek island of Lesbos for over 30 years 136 00:06:34 --> 00:06:43 [Music] 137 00:06:46 --> 00:06:51 but it was in 1988 that he made a 138 00:06:49 --> 00:06:53 discovery that could put flesh on to the 139 00:06:51 --> 00:07:02 stories of vampires 140 00:06:53 --> 00:07:02 [Music] 141 00:07:05 --> 00:07:11 I'm standing on top of the ancient city 142 00:07:07 --> 00:07:11 wall of middle Eenie 143 00:07:11 --> 00:07:16 for five seasons with more than 40 144 00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 workmen we dug on both sides of it and 145 00:07:16 --> 00:07:20 around it 146 00:07:17 --> 00:07:22 dozens of discoveries emerged a Roman 147 00:07:20 --> 00:07:24 brothel over there the Hellenistic 148 00:07:22 --> 00:07:26 industrial district down here pottery 149 00:07:24 --> 00:07:29 from the age of SAPO 600 years before 150 00:07:26 --> 00:07:31 Christ down below but nothing prepared 151 00:07:29 --> 00:07:33 us for the remarkable discovery we were 152 00:07:31 --> 00:07:37 going to make at the far end of the wall 153 00:07:33 --> 00:07:39 built actually into the wall itself it 154 00:07:37 --> 00:07:43 was a discovery that shook the very 155 00:07:39 --> 00:07:45 foundations of archeology proof that 156 00:07:43 --> 00:07:51 vampires may not just be creatures of 157 00:07:45 --> 00:07:53 legend but of historical fact we're here 158 00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 on the edge of the ancient city wall and 159 00:07:53 --> 00:07:59 it was at this point that we discovered 160 00:07:55 --> 00:08:02 the wall had been cut in two and a crypt 161 00:07:59 --> 00:08:04 very carefully excavated in which a 162 00:08:02 --> 00:08:08 wooden coffin had been lowered and heavy 163 00:08:04 --> 00:08:11 stones placed on top for some reason 164 00:08:08 --> 00:08:12 somebody had gone to the huge effort of 165 00:08:11 --> 00:08:15 digging a grave right into the 166 00:08:12 --> 00:08:19 foundations of the city walls but that 167 00:08:15 --> 00:08:23 wasn't the only mystery it stretched 168 00:08:19 --> 00:08:25 along here for about two meters and in 169 00:08:23 --> 00:08:28 it were sprawling the remains of a 170 00:08:25 --> 00:08:31 middle-aged man creature our students 171 00:08:28 --> 00:08:34 nicknamed glad after Vlad the Impaler 172 00:08:31 --> 00:08:37 Vlad the Impaler was a 15th century 173 00:08:34 --> 00:08:39 ruler of Romania and was probably the 174 00:08:37 --> 00:08:41 inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula 175 00:08:39 --> 00:08:46 and like his counterpart 176 00:08:41 --> 00:08:50 Hector's Vlad came to a sticky end he 177 00:08:46 --> 00:08:54 had spike driven through his throat 178 00:08:50 --> 00:08:56 middle and his ankle to hold him in the 179 00:08:54 --> 00:08:59 tomb 180 00:08:56 --> 00:09:02 not a normal burial a corpse nailed into 181 00:08:59 --> 00:09:05 his coffin 320 centimeter long metal 182 00:09:02 --> 00:09:13 stakes driven through his body into his 183 00:09:05 --> 00:09:15 ankle pelvis and neck this was unique we 184 00:09:13 --> 00:09:17 found over 50 burials in this area of 185 00:09:15 --> 00:09:20 men and women and this one had received 186 00:09:17 --> 00:09:25 very special treatment the treatment of 187 00:09:20 --> 00:09:27 a suspected vampire so who was glad and 188 00:09:25 --> 00:09:30 why was he considered to be a vampire 189 00:09:27 --> 00:09:32 Hector turned to greet born paleo 190 00:09:30 --> 00:09:35 pathologist anastasius le key for 191 00:09:32 --> 00:09:37 answers she found that far from the 192 00:09:35 --> 00:09:45 fanged figure of fiction this vampire 193 00:09:37 --> 00:09:48 was surprisingly ordinary he was mister 194 00:09:45 --> 00:09:50 average but for some reason of what his 195 00:09:48 --> 00:09:54 death the villagers believed that he 196 00:09:50 --> 00:09:57 would become a vampire or a revenant so 197 00:09:54 --> 00:09:59 when she sit down they took every 198 00:09:57 --> 00:10:02 measure they could in order to prevent 199 00:09:59 --> 00:10:06 him from striking back a building 200 00:10:02 --> 00:10:08 aged 40 to 50 years Vlad had been fit 201 00:10:06 --> 00:10:12 and strong he was probably a laborer and 202 00:10:08 --> 00:10:14 had eaten a decent diet but for some 203 00:10:12 --> 00:10:17 reason when he died he didn't get a 204 00:10:14 --> 00:10:19 normal burial instead he'd been nailed 205 00:10:17 --> 00:10:22 into a crude coffin and hidden right 206 00:10:19 --> 00:10:26 inside the city walls but why was he 207 00:10:22 --> 00:10:28 treated in such a way I have had some 208 00:10:26 --> 00:10:30 characteristics that made him suspect in 209 00:10:28 --> 00:10:34 his lifetime so they weren't taking any 210 00:10:30 --> 00:10:39 chances this was a man that they did not 211 00:10:34 --> 00:10:39 want to see again alive or dead 212 00:10:40 --> 00:10:45 why were the locals so scared of Ladd 213 00:10:43 --> 00:10:49 and why was he considered to be a 214 00:10:45 --> 00:10:51 vampire Clues may lie a thousand miles 215 00:10:49 --> 00:10:59 to the west beneath a quintessential 216 00:10:51 --> 00:11:02 English parish church since Leonard's 217 00:10:59 --> 00:11:11 church in high in southern England is a 218 00:11:02 --> 00:11:13 church with a secret alien pathologist 219 00:11:11 --> 00:11:15 anastasius Aliki has come here not to 220 00:11:13 --> 00:11:21 marvel at its grand stained-glass 221 00:11:15 --> 00:11:25 windows but to pay homage to a 222 00:11:21 --> 00:11:33 clandestine space beneath the chancel 223 00:11:25 --> 00:11:36 a crypt containing the bones of over 224 00:11:33 --> 00:11:42 4,000 people a place that may hold clues 225 00:11:36 --> 00:11:45 to the origins of vampire belief there 226 00:11:42 --> 00:11:47 are many theories about who we see in 227 00:11:45 --> 00:11:50 where some say that there were the 228 00:11:47 --> 00:11:53 victims of a great battle others that 229 00:11:50 --> 00:11:57 they were the victim to the Black Death 230 00:11:53 --> 00:12:00 but recent studies have found so inside 231 00:11:57 --> 00:12:03 some of the skulls so we believe that 232 00:12:00 --> 00:12:06 these were ordinary citizens of high and 233 00:12:03 --> 00:12:07 in the 13th century when the church 234 00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 needed to be expanded 235 00:12:07 --> 00:12:16 there were dug up from the churchyard 236 00:12:09 --> 00:12:19 and they were brought here there's 237 00:12:16 --> 00:12:23 nothing unusual about this bone creeps 238 00:12:19 --> 00:12:26 like they existed all over Europe and it 239 00:12:23 --> 00:12:31 was not rare for the bones to be dug up 240 00:12:26 --> 00:12:31 and put in a oh sure ease or creeps 241 00:12:32 --> 00:12:37 forty miles south of Prague in the Czech 242 00:12:35 --> 00:12:40 Republic the Church of All Saints in the 243 00:12:37 --> 00:12:49 town of coot mahira has taken the idea 244 00:12:40 --> 00:12:52 of bone crypts to the extreme known as 245 00:12:49 --> 00:12:54 the Sedlec oh sorry this is the largest 246 00:12:52 --> 00:12:59 bone tomb in Europe and holds the 247 00:12:54 --> 00:12:59 remains of up to 70,000 people 248 00:13:00 --> 00:13:05 originally a simple pile of bones dug up 249 00:13:03 --> 00:13:07 from the graveyard like those in hive 250 00:13:05 --> 00:13:10 when the church was extended in the 14th 251 00:13:07 --> 00:13:12 century it wasn't until the 1870s that 252 00:13:10 --> 00:13:16 it took on this macabre 253 00:13:12 --> 00:13:18 gothic display there are four enormous 254 00:13:16 --> 00:13:21 bell-shaped mounds in each corner of the 255 00:13:18 --> 00:13:23 chapel and a colossal chandelier 256 00:13:21 --> 00:13:26 containing at least one of every bone in 257 00:13:23 --> 00:13:29 the human body hanging from the center 258 00:13:26 --> 00:13:31 of the names the beds don't necessarily 259 00:13:29 --> 00:13:33 stay buried forever in many cultures 260 00:13:31 --> 00:13:36 they dig up the forties and they keep 261 00:13:33 --> 00:13:40 the ball in ER and mausoleum a family 262 00:13:36 --> 00:13:43 grave or inari although rarely as ornate 263 00:13:40 --> 00:13:45 bone crypts and mausoleums are still 264 00:13:43 --> 00:13:50 commonplace the world over 265 00:13:45 --> 00:13:53 [Music] 266 00:13:50 --> 00:13:56 my family has its own burial cloth on a 267 00:13:53 --> 00:13:57 small island in Greece so one day I hope 268 00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 with my bones will be transferred there 269 00:13:57 --> 00:14:02 so that I can rest alongside my 270 00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 ancestors 271 00:14:10 --> 00:14:16 back on lesbos Hector Williams is 272 00:14:14 --> 00:14:18 visiting a modern-day cemetery to see 273 00:14:16 --> 00:14:21 whether this practice of relocating the 274 00:14:18 --> 00:14:25 bones could explain the ancient Greeks 275 00:14:21 --> 00:14:28 belief in Vampires sign in the village 276 00:14:25 --> 00:14:30 cemetery mentions because of the small 277 00:14:28 --> 00:14:32 size of the second cemetery of medellin 278 00:14:30 --> 00:14:35 e we have relatives of the deceased 279 00:14:32 --> 00:14:38 proceed with the exclamation of their 280 00:14:35 --> 00:14:43 relatives in timely fashion after three 281 00:14:38 --> 00:14:45 years post mortem even today bones are 282 00:14:43 --> 00:14:49 being exhumed to free up space for new 283 00:14:45 --> 00:14:51 burials we're here by a modern grave in 284 00:14:49 --> 00:14:54 the cemetery one that will soon be 285 00:14:51 --> 00:14:58 excused and the body placed in a box and 286 00:14:54 --> 00:15:00 transferred to the charnel-house you can 287 00:14:58 --> 00:15:07 see part of a leg bone coming out of the 288 00:15:00 --> 00:15:10 ground there's a back bone here there's 289 00:15:07 --> 00:15:14 a bit of rib coming up there with flesh 290 00:15:10 --> 00:15:18 still on it and very conspicuous at the 291 00:15:14 --> 00:15:18 end of the grave is the skull 292 00:15:19 --> 00:15:25 [Music] 293 00:15:21 --> 00:15:28 so could a familiarity with the remains 294 00:15:25 --> 00:15:30 of the dead have led to a belief in the 295 00:15:28 --> 00:15:33 undead the problem started when 296 00:15:30 --> 00:15:36 something unexpected happen for example 297 00:15:33 --> 00:15:38 when the villagers went to dig up the 298 00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 body to traffic the bones and instead of 299 00:15:38 --> 00:15:43 the skeleton 300 00:15:39 --> 00:15:45 they found a corpse looking fresh so 301 00:15:43 --> 00:15:49 when there were only two solutions 302 00:15:45 --> 00:15:51 either that was the body of a saint or 303 00:15:49 --> 00:15:53 they were dealing with a work of the 304 00:15:51 --> 00:15:55 devil and in this case they thought they 305 00:15:53 --> 00:16:00 were dealing with a vampire or a 306 00:15:55 --> 00:16:02 revenant but could there be a more 307 00:16:00 --> 00:16:06 natural explanation for the lack of 308 00:16:02 --> 00:16:08 decay popular misconception is that a 309 00:16:06 --> 00:16:10 body will decompose quite fast after 310 00:16:08 --> 00:16:12 death but in fact nothing can be further 311 00:16:10 --> 00:16:14 from the truth 312 00:16:12 --> 00:16:17 Professor Richard Shepherd is one of the 313 00:16:14 --> 00:16:21 UK's leading pathologists a forensics 314 00:16:17 --> 00:16:23 expert in a real-life CSI he even 315 00:16:21 --> 00:16:31 advises the British government on 316 00:16:23 --> 00:16:33 mysterious deaths the speed at which a 317 00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 body does decompose depends on the state 318 00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 of the body at the time of death when 319 00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 the ground in which the body is buried 320 00:16:36 --> 00:16:40 [Music] 321 00:16:37 --> 00:16:43 the body normally contains millions and 322 00:16:40 --> 00:16:44 millions of bacteria mostly they're 323 00:16:43 --> 00:16:46 beneficial to the body and help in 324 00:16:44 --> 00:16:48 digestion help to an extent in 325 00:16:46 --> 00:16:51 protecting the body against infection 326 00:16:48 --> 00:16:53 because after death there's nothing left 327 00:16:51 --> 00:16:57 for these bacteria to feed on and 328 00:16:53 --> 00:16:57 they'll start to digest the body itself 329 00:16:57 --> 00:17:04 this is the natural process of decay the 330 00:17:01 --> 00:17:07 body's bacteria given with freedom to 331 00:17:04 --> 00:17:10 feed and the result would normally be a 332 00:17:07 --> 00:17:13 pile of bones ready to be moved into the 333 00:17:10 --> 00:17:18 ossuary or mausoleum but they had to be 334 00:17:13 --> 00:17:19 cleaned first between afar did not 335 00:17:18 --> 00:17:22 necessarily know the connection between 336 00:17:19 --> 00:17:25 the spread of bacteria and disease 337 00:17:22 --> 00:17:28 however the ritualized treatment of the 338 00:17:25 --> 00:17:32 bones gave them a way to protect the 339 00:17:28 --> 00:17:32 living from the spread of contagion 340 00:17:34 --> 00:17:39 washing horns with wine for example has 341 00:17:38 --> 00:17:43 been known to act as a disinfectant 342 00:17:39 --> 00:17:46 since he poker design 2500 years ago 343 00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 [Music] 344 00:17:46 --> 00:17:50 during the ritualized 345 00:17:48 --> 00:17:53 treatment of the bones the Greeks were 346 00:17:50 --> 00:17:56 literally protecting themselves from the 347 00:17:53 --> 00:18:01 dead a process that could have lent 348 00:17:56 --> 00:18:04 favor to details of vampires many areas 349 00:18:01 --> 00:18:06 in Greece they use boiled wine and 350 00:18:04 --> 00:18:09 vinegar as a defense against the 351 00:18:06 --> 00:18:10 vampires or revenant and these might 352 00:18:09 --> 00:18:12 have something to do with the 353 00:18:10 --> 00:18:17 disinfectant properties of the 354 00:18:12 --> 00:18:19 substances and there are other features 355 00:18:17 --> 00:18:22 of decomposition that can also 356 00:18:19 --> 00:18:25 substantiate the idea of the Living Dead 357 00:18:22 --> 00:18:28 sometimes a corpse might even move 358 00:18:25 --> 00:18:29 inside the grave one of the things that 359 00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 occurs to a body after death is a 360 00:18:29 --> 00:18:33 natural process rigor mortis the 361 00:18:31 --> 00:18:35 stiffening of the muscles after death 362 00:18:33 --> 00:18:38 some people believe it affects the body 363 00:18:35 --> 00:18:40 permanently but that's not true it's a 364 00:18:38 --> 00:18:43 temporary process and as the body 365 00:18:40 --> 00:18:46 relaxes it may cause it to appear to 366 00:18:43 --> 00:18:47 move within the coffin if there's 367 00:18:46 --> 00:18:49 movement there it may also cause noises 368 00:18:47 --> 00:18:51 to come out of the coffin as well 369 00:18:49 --> 00:18:53 and this could give the impression that 370 00:18:51 --> 00:18:55 the bodies are rising from the dead and 371 00:18:53 --> 00:19:00 even the look of the corpse could 372 00:18:55 --> 00:19:02 portray it as a vampire after death the 373 00:19:00 --> 00:19:04 skin of the body dries out dehydrates 374 00:19:02 --> 00:19:06 and shrinks a bit and this can give the 375 00:19:04 --> 00:19:09 impression that stubble is growing on 376 00:19:06 --> 00:19:11 the face blisters forms top surface of 377 00:19:09 --> 00:19:14 the skin can peel off and slip off and 378 00:19:11 --> 00:19:15 the fingernails are growing sometimes to 379 00:19:14 --> 00:19:18 a considerable length we can curve a 380 00:19:15 --> 00:19:20 little like a claw and this can give the 381 00:19:18 --> 00:19:23 impression that the bodies to the live 382 00:19:20 --> 00:19:26 hair is still growing fingernails are 383 00:19:23 --> 00:19:27 still dry so that's no surprise that 384 00:19:26 --> 00:19:30 Hollywood has taken these three natural 385 00:19:27 --> 00:19:32 signs of decomposition the facial hair 386 00:19:30 --> 00:19:35 growth the long fingernails and the 387 00:19:32 --> 00:19:38 smooth skin as being signs of the 388 00:19:35 --> 00:19:39 continuing life of this vampire after 389 00:19:38 --> 00:19:42 there 390 00:19:39 --> 00:19:43 what you get when you see these vampire 391 00:19:42 --> 00:19:45 stories especially about the blood 392 00:19:43 --> 00:19:46 around the mouth the rosy cheeks these 393 00:19:45 --> 00:19:49 bodies apparently not decomposing as 394 00:19:46 --> 00:19:51 they should according to science if 395 00:19:49 --> 00:19:54 you're pushing the boundaries of what 396 00:19:51 --> 00:19:56 science or medicine the cutting edge of 397 00:19:54 --> 00:19:59 the day can explain I think that's one 398 00:19:56 --> 00:20:01 reason one of the prime reasons why 399 00:19:59 --> 00:20:04 people just get so mad for these vampire 400 00:20:01 --> 00:20:07 stories and were they then to drive a 401 00:20:04 --> 00:20:10 stake through the heart that would tend 402 00:20:07 --> 00:20:12 to expel the gases that is developed in 403 00:20:10 --> 00:20:16 the body after death make the body fart 404 00:20:12 --> 00:20:18 it could certainly cause it to sigh and 405 00:20:16 --> 00:20:20 this one doesn't reinforce their belief 406 00:20:18 --> 00:20:24 that this body had in fact been alive 407 00:20:20 --> 00:20:26 all the time so ignorant of the bodies 408 00:20:24 --> 00:20:28 be composition cycle when it came to 409 00:20:26 --> 00:20:31 transferring the remains to the Ossorio 410 00:20:28 --> 00:20:34 mausoleum could offer evidence that 411 00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 vampires are real 412 00:20:35 --> 00:20:40 might be suggester rationale for the 413 00:20:38 --> 00:20:44 stakes driven through the body of lad on 414 00:20:40 --> 00:20:47 the island of Lesbos Greece has a long 415 00:20:44 --> 00:20:51 tradition of Vampira revenue mythology 416 00:20:47 --> 00:20:54 in the 17th to 19th century European 417 00:20:51 --> 00:20:57 travelers would recount story of how 418 00:20:54 --> 00:21:00 suspected vampires were exhumed and 419 00:20:57 --> 00:21:03 nailed inside their caskets in order to 420 00:21:00 --> 00:21:05 prevent them from arise again and I 421 00:21:03 --> 00:21:10 think that's exactly what they found in 422 00:21:05 --> 00:21:12 the case of Vlad here was a poor man who 423 00:21:10 --> 00:21:15 for whatever reason had been assumed to 424 00:21:12 --> 00:21:17 be a vampire so when he died he was 425 00:21:15 --> 00:21:20 treated as such with stakes driven 426 00:21:17 --> 00:21:20 through his body 427 00:21:22 --> 00:21:26 they took a number of precautions to 428 00:21:24 --> 00:21:29 make sure that this man did not return 429 00:21:26 --> 00:21:31 from the dead they put the stakes 430 00:21:29 --> 00:21:35 through him they put the wooden 431 00:21:31 --> 00:21:37 sarcophagus around him they built the 432 00:21:35 --> 00:21:39 special crypt for him they put the heavy 433 00:21:37 --> 00:21:42 stones on top of the crypt to make sure 434 00:21:39 --> 00:21:45 that the coffin could not be opened 435 00:21:42 --> 00:21:47 there was a reason and we'll never know 436 00:21:45 --> 00:21:49 the reason that they thought this man 437 00:21:47 --> 00:21:52 was a threat to the living that he was a 438 00:21:49 --> 00:21:55 potential vampire 439 00:21:52 --> 00:21:58 glads discovery shook the archaeological 440 00:21:55 --> 00:22:04 world and confirmed that vampires were 441 00:21:58 --> 00:22:06 real but why Vlad was considered to be a 442 00:22:04 --> 00:22:10 vampire remains a little more than 443 00:22:06 --> 00:22:12 supposition likely they thought he was a 444 00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 vampire because of his behavior in his 445 00:22:12 --> 00:22:15 lifetime 446 00:22:12 --> 00:22:18 there are dozen reasons why one might 447 00:22:15 --> 00:22:21 have been thought to be a vampire 448 00:22:18 --> 00:22:24 strange behavior on your part strange 449 00:22:21 --> 00:22:27 family history particular evil 450 00:22:24 --> 00:22:29 reputation mistake the priest might have 451 00:22:27 --> 00:22:31 made in the burial there are all sorts 452 00:22:29 --> 00:22:34 of reasons we don't know why they 453 00:22:31 --> 00:22:41 thought this particular man was a 454 00:22:34 --> 00:22:43 vampire we may never know for sure but 455 00:22:41 --> 00:22:46 another even more mysterious grave was 456 00:22:43 --> 00:22:50 soon to be found on lesbos one that 457 00:22:46 --> 00:22:50 could provide the answers 458 00:22:51 --> 00:22:56 [Music] 459 00:22:58 --> 00:23:05 [Music] 460 00:23:05 --> 00:23:11 at the turn of the 21st century beside 461 00:23:08 --> 00:23:13 the tiny Church of taxi arcus high above 462 00:23:11 --> 00:23:15 Vlad's grave in the city walls of 463 00:23:13 --> 00:23:18 Mitylene II a second mysterious burial 464 00:23:15 --> 00:23:22 was unearthed one that may explain what 465 00:23:18 --> 00:23:22 he took to become a vampire 466 00:23:25 --> 00:23:29 1999 a team from the Greek 467 00:23:28 --> 00:23:32 archaeological service was restoring 468 00:23:29 --> 00:23:34 this medieval Chapel they were digging a 469 00:23:32 --> 00:23:37 drainage ditch around it came across the 470 00:23:34 --> 00:23:41 series of burials running down the hill 471 00:23:37 --> 00:23:45 one up here perfectly normal one here 472 00:23:41 --> 00:23:48 somewhat deformed individual with 216 473 00:23:45 --> 00:23:51 centimeters stakes laid out on either 474 00:23:48 --> 00:23:53 side of him it was these states that 475 00:23:51 --> 00:23:58 provided the first clues that this 476 00:23:53 --> 00:24:01 burial was unique estates falling 477 00:23:58 --> 00:24:04 underground were too big to be coffee - 478 00:24:01 --> 00:24:09 and there is no sign that they were 479 00:24:04 --> 00:24:11 attached to anything so I believe that 480 00:24:09 --> 00:24:14 they were placed there deliberately as a 481 00:24:11 --> 00:24:17 preventive measure to stop this man from 482 00:24:14 --> 00:24:19 transforming himself to his empire just 483 00:24:17 --> 00:24:22 like black who had been treated as a 484 00:24:19 --> 00:24:24 vampire when he died with stakes driven 485 00:24:22 --> 00:24:26 through his body here lay a man who it 486 00:24:24 --> 00:24:29 was expected would also rise from the 487 00:24:26 --> 00:24:31 grave so why didn't the locals go 488 00:24:29 --> 00:24:33 through with a necessary action that's 489 00:24:31 --> 00:24:36 taking him in place at the time of his 490 00:24:33 --> 00:24:40 funeral they weren't taking any chances 491 00:24:36 --> 00:24:41 so they very carefully after wrapping 492 00:24:40 --> 00:24:45 him in his winding-sheet 493 00:24:41 --> 00:24:48 buried him within 24 hours of death in 494 00:24:45 --> 00:24:52 usual Christian way facing the east for 495 00:24:48 --> 00:24:55 the Last Judgement as a precaution they 496 00:24:52 --> 00:24:57 put these two spikes beside him why they 497 00:24:55 --> 00:24:59 didn't put them through him to keep him 498 00:24:57 --> 00:25:04 in there we will never know but they 499 00:24:59 --> 00:25:06 were there and they were intended to we 500 00:25:04 --> 00:25:08 think act as talismans to keep him in 501 00:25:06 --> 00:25:11 the grave 502 00:25:08 --> 00:25:14 whilst the true nature of the taxi arcus 503 00:25:11 --> 00:25:16 vampire remains unclear a discovery on 504 00:25:14 --> 00:25:27 the other side of the world may reveal 505 00:25:16 --> 00:25:30 the purpose of these talisman stakes in 506 00:25:27 --> 00:25:32 1988 in the city of Mitylene II on the 507 00:25:30 --> 00:25:35 Greek island of Lesbos Hector Williams 508 00:25:32 --> 00:25:37 and his team of archaeologists unearthed 509 00:25:35 --> 00:25:41 the remains of a vampire they named glad 510 00:25:37 --> 00:25:44 his body nailed into his grave 10 years 511 00:25:41 --> 00:25:47 later a second vampire was exhumed in a 512 00:25:44 --> 00:25:50 churchyard just a few miles out of town 513 00:25:47 --> 00:25:52 these two files have helped elevate the 514 00:25:50 --> 00:25:56 vampires of Eastern Europe from mythical 515 00:25:52 --> 00:25:58 beings to ones of historical fact but 516 00:25:56 --> 00:26:02 why would someone be considered a 517 00:25:58 --> 00:26:11 vampire in the first place clues may lie 518 00:26:02 --> 00:26:14 on the other side of the world in 1990 a 519 00:26:11 --> 00:26:18 series of shocking discoveries terrified 520 00:26:14 --> 00:26:18 a sleepy American town in New England 521 00:26:19 --> 00:26:23 archeologists working on a gravel pit 522 00:26:21 --> 00:26:26 understand the crop that's dating back 523 00:26:23 --> 00:26:31 nearly 300 years to the time of the 524 00:26:26 --> 00:26:34 founding fathers the cemetery contained 525 00:26:31 --> 00:26:40 the remains of an entire family but one 526 00:26:34 --> 00:26:43 burial plot was distinct bearing the 527 00:26:40 --> 00:26:45 initials JB when the coffin lid was 528 00:26:43 --> 00:26:47 opened the archaeologists found that the 529 00:26:45 --> 00:26:52 bones had been rearranged into the sign 530 00:26:47 --> 00:26:54 of the skull and cross was this a pirate 531 00:26:52 --> 00:26:56 or could there be a more startling 532 00:26:54 --> 00:27:01 explanation 533 00:26:56 --> 00:27:04 [Music] 534 00:27:01 --> 00:27:06 forensic scientist Anastasius Aliki has 535 00:27:04 --> 00:27:09 been reexamining the case for clues and 536 00:27:06 --> 00:27:14 to see if the find can be linked in any 537 00:27:09 --> 00:27:14 way to the vampires of lesbos Island 538 00:27:14 --> 00:27:20 when the phones were first added it soon 539 00:27:18 --> 00:27:23 became clear that there was a series of 540 00:27:20 --> 00:27:25 lesions present the appearance the 541 00:27:23 --> 00:27:28 distribution and the location of the 542 00:27:25 --> 00:27:32 lesions point it out towards one disease 543 00:27:28 --> 00:27:34 and that's tuberculosis also known as TB 544 00:27:32 --> 00:27:38 so the disease would have spread from 545 00:27:34 --> 00:27:42 the four-month flies onto his ribcage 546 00:27:38 --> 00:27:43 and almost certainly it is what killed 547 00:27:42 --> 00:27:46 him 548 00:27:43 --> 00:27:48 tuberculosis is a terrible disease that 549 00:27:46 --> 00:27:51 was rife in eastern America in the 18th 550 00:27:48 --> 00:27:53 and 19th centuries a period known to 551 00:27:51 --> 00:27:57 coincide with a spate of vampiric 552 00:27:53 --> 00:28:01 activity so could there be a connection 553 00:27:57 --> 00:28:03 between tuberculosis and vampires there 554 00:28:01 --> 00:28:05 are a number of symptoms of tuberculosis 555 00:28:03 --> 00:28:07 can be linked to vampirism for instance 556 00:28:05 --> 00:28:09 conductive itis that red and inflamed 557 00:28:07 --> 00:28:12 eyes that often make people dislike 558 00:28:09 --> 00:28:14 going out in bright sunlight or there's 559 00:28:12 --> 00:28:16 the pallor of the skin associated with 560 00:28:14 --> 00:28:18 anemia of the disease or the thin and 561 00:28:16 --> 00:28:21 thready pulse associated with the 562 00:28:18 --> 00:28:22 debility of tuberculosis then of course 563 00:28:21 --> 00:28:24 there's the fact that people 564 00:28:22 --> 00:28:28 tuberculosis are commonly coughing up 565 00:28:24 --> 00:28:30 blood via second understand there's an 566 00:28:28 --> 00:28:31 argument for linking the symptoms of 567 00:28:30 --> 00:28:33 tuberculosis which was also known as 568 00:28:31 --> 00:28:35 consumption with the features of 569 00:28:33 --> 00:28:37 vampirism 570 00:28:35 --> 00:28:39 of course these diseases are highly 571 00:28:37 --> 00:28:42 contagious so they'll stick within a 572 00:28:39 --> 00:28:44 family group and so when one member the 573 00:28:42 --> 00:28:46 family has died is quite likely that 574 00:28:44 --> 00:28:51 other members of the family will die 575 00:28:46 --> 00:28:54 soon after those who are infected would 576 00:28:51 --> 00:28:57 lose the health slowly so it would 577 00:28:54 --> 00:29:01 appear as if life was strained away from 578 00:28:57 --> 00:29:09 them and that they were wasting away 579 00:29:01 --> 00:29:13 I believe that this person died from 580 00:29:09 --> 00:29:15 tuberculosis and his family caught the 581 00:29:13 --> 00:29:17 disease as well and soon followed him to 582 00:29:15 --> 00:29:20 the grave 583 00:29:17 --> 00:29:23 the JB's family members died so soon 584 00:29:20 --> 00:29:27 after him was a sure sign that he had 585 00:29:23 --> 00:29:30 become a vampire and as the disease 586 00:29:27 --> 00:29:34 spread hysteria may have gripped the 587 00:29:30 --> 00:29:36 community they might have been an 588 00:29:34 --> 00:29:39 inclination to dig up the corpse and 589 00:29:36 --> 00:29:47 undertake the appropriate precautionary 590 00:29:39 --> 00:29:51 action and there could have been other 591 00:29:47 --> 00:29:53 indicators of vampire activity thanks to 592 00:29:51 --> 00:29:55 the volume of people dying at the time 593 00:29:53 --> 00:29:58 when many people are dying this will 594 00:29:55 --> 00:30:00 lead to rapid burials barrels in shallow 595 00:29:58 --> 00:30:02 graves and in the digging of those 596 00:30:00 --> 00:30:04 graves other bodies will be disturbed 597 00:30:02 --> 00:30:06 lead to scattering of the bones maybe 598 00:30:04 --> 00:30:09 even body parts on the surface or 599 00:30:06 --> 00:30:10 protruding full grave and this 600 00:30:09 --> 00:30:12 appearance could give the impression 601 00:30:10 --> 00:30:14 that the bodies are becoming alive again 602 00:30:12 --> 00:30:17 and rising from the dead 603 00:30:14 --> 00:30:20 it may have been quite natural to take 604 00:30:17 --> 00:30:22 safety measures to ribery the remains to 605 00:30:20 --> 00:30:25 weigh them down with stones or a heavy 606 00:30:22 --> 00:30:28 casket or to stick them into the grave 607 00:30:25 --> 00:30:31 to stop them rising again or perhaps in 608 00:30:28 --> 00:30:37 the case of JB of simply rearranging his 609 00:30:31 --> 00:30:39 bones by rearranging the bones they may 610 00:30:37 --> 00:30:41 have believed that they were mobilizing 611 00:30:39 --> 00:30:45 the corpse in the grave and that they 612 00:30:41 --> 00:30:48 were preventing it from coming out again 613 00:30:45 --> 00:30:51 and there is one further nail in the 614 00:30:48 --> 00:30:55 coffin to link tuberculosis to vampires 615 00:30:51 --> 00:30:57 50 miles away in an abandoned Cemetery 616 00:30:55 --> 00:31:02 in Rhode Island later gravestone from 617 00:30:57 --> 00:31:06 1841 it bears the inscription in memory 618 00:31:02 --> 00:31:10 of Simon Whipple who died May 6th 1841 619 00:31:06 --> 00:31:14 although consumptions vampire grasp has 620 00:31:10 --> 00:31:17 seized that mortal frame consumption is 621 00:31:14 --> 00:31:19 another name for tuberculosis so maybe 622 00:31:17 --> 00:31:22 this is a proof of the link between 623 00:31:19 --> 00:31:29 tuberculosis and vampires in New England 624 00:31:22 --> 00:31:32 at least and the link even made it into 625 00:31:29 --> 00:31:34 the popular literature of the time front 626 00:31:32 --> 00:31:35 summary Arroway better known as Voltaire 627 00:31:34 --> 00:31:38 is one of the greatest thinkers of the 628 00:31:35 --> 00:31:40 18th century enlightenment and he wrote 629 00:31:38 --> 00:31:42 in his philosophical dictionary that 630 00:31:40 --> 00:31:44 vampires are corpses who went out of 631 00:31:42 --> 00:31:46 their graves at night to suck the blood 632 00:31:44 --> 00:31:48 of the living either at the throats of 633 00:31:46 --> 00:31:50 stomachs after which they returned to 634 00:31:48 --> 00:31:53 their cemeteries the person so sucked 635 00:31:50 --> 00:31:55 wanes grew pale and fell into 636 00:31:53 --> 00:31:57 consumption while the sucking corpses 637 00:31:55 --> 00:32:00 grew facts got rosy and enjoyed an 638 00:31:57 --> 00:32:02 excellent advertised 639 00:32:00 --> 00:32:04 proof that in earlier times when 640 00:32:02 --> 00:32:07 people's understanding of disease and 641 00:32:04 --> 00:32:11 illness was limited superstition held 642 00:32:07 --> 00:32:13 sway over fearful minds vying for the 643 00:32:11 --> 00:32:15 18th century but you'd be wrong if you 644 00:32:13 --> 00:32:20 thought that a belief in Vampires had 645 00:32:15 --> 00:32:21 died out today in February 2004 the 646 00:32:20 --> 00:32:24 authorities were called into the small 647 00:32:21 --> 00:32:26 village of Cray over Southwest Romania 648 00:32:24 --> 00:32:29 to investigate six people alleged to 649 00:32:26 --> 00:32:31 have impaled the body of a villager Tom 650 00:32:29 --> 00:32:33 Petra who according to them had 651 00:32:31 --> 00:32:35 transformed himself into a vampire after 652 00:32:33 --> 00:32:38 his death 653 00:32:35 --> 00:32:42 [Music] 654 00:32:38 --> 00:32:45 my brother-in-law died when he died he 655 00:32:42 --> 00:32:45 became a vampire 656 00:32:47 --> 00:32:52 the villagers believed that Petra was 657 00:32:50 --> 00:32:53 returning from the grave and feasting on 658 00:32:52 --> 00:32:56 his next of kin 659 00:32:53 --> 00:32:58 did you know moving in Oporto there you 660 00:32:56 --> 00:33:01 go I saw him coming at night he was 661 00:32:58 --> 00:33:05 calling I was screaming he was sucking 662 00:33:01 --> 00:33:09 our blood his relatives were gradually 663 00:33:05 --> 00:33:12 fading away this will mark the union 664 00:33:09 --> 00:33:14 Medicis I had stomach ache I Chantal O 665 00:33:12 --> 00:33:17 everybody in the neighborhood witness 666 00:33:14 --> 00:33:20 how bad I was feeling at night parameter 667 00:33:17 --> 00:33:22 not me in Slavic society it is still 668 00:33:20 --> 00:33:26 believed that a person's spirit lingers 669 00:33:22 --> 00:33:29 for 40 days after death so there was 670 00:33:26 --> 00:33:32 only one solution six weeks after his 671 00:33:29 --> 00:33:34 funeral as midnight approached Petra's 672 00:33:32 --> 00:33:37 family snuck into the cemetery and dug 673 00:33:34 --> 00:33:41 up his corpse it condition confirmed 674 00:33:37 --> 00:33:41 their worst suspicions 675 00:33:41 --> 00:33:46 [Music] 676 00:33:44 --> 00:33:49 we found him with his hands at his side 677 00:33:46 --> 00:33:54 like this his neck was told and his 678 00:33:49 --> 00:33:56 mouth was full of life a corpse full of 679 00:33:54 --> 00:34:00 blood a sure sign that Petra had become 680 00:33:56 --> 00:34:02 a vampire blood has a symbolism in many 681 00:34:00 --> 00:34:04 religion there's the drinking of wine to 682 00:34:02 --> 00:34:06 symbolize Jesus's blood in Christianity 683 00:34:04 --> 00:34:08 but there's also the drinking of blood 684 00:34:06 --> 00:34:11 to gain supernatural powers in many 685 00:34:08 --> 00:34:12 other religions and so the presence of 686 00:34:11 --> 00:34:17 blood around the mouth must have been 687 00:34:12 --> 00:34:24 truly terrifying the villagers did what 688 00:34:17 --> 00:34:27 their beliefs required results with our 689 00:34:24 --> 00:34:31 part we work inside the grave and we did 690 00:34:27 --> 00:34:33 everything properly this is my pitch 691 00:34:31 --> 00:34:41 book we used it to remove the heart we 692 00:34:33 --> 00:34:42 got this sheet in dollars in emulsion 693 00:34:41 --> 00:34:44 and a dead man's heart is not supposed 694 00:34:42 --> 00:34:49 to have blood in it if he isn't a 695 00:34:44 --> 00:34:53 vampire witch panic on it 696 00:34:49 --> 00:34:56 [Music] 697 00:34:53 --> 00:34:57 you know they told us all to be Burnett 698 00:34:56 --> 00:35:00 and we track the issues together with 699 00:34:57 --> 00:35:00 water 700 00:35:01 --> 00:35:06 [Music] 701 00:35:03 --> 00:35:12 we drank the ashes and immediately we 702 00:35:06 --> 00:35:16 felt better in Romania at least the 703 00:35:12 --> 00:35:19 vampire is no legend it remains a very 704 00:35:16 --> 00:35:21 real threat a night lurking creature 705 00:35:19 --> 00:35:25 that preys on our deepest fears in the 706 00:35:21 --> 00:35:25 margin between life and death 707 00:35:35 --> 00:35:41 vampires entities that prey on your 708 00:35:38 --> 00:35:43 lifeforce creatures of the night that 709 00:35:41 --> 00:35:45 lurk in the borders between life and 710 00:35:43 --> 00:35:48 death 711 00:35:45 --> 00:35:52 modern medicine can explicate at least 712 00:35:48 --> 00:35:56 some vampire cases but what had flared 713 00:35:52 --> 00:35:56 the other vampires of Lesvos Island 714 00:35:57 --> 00:36:02 it fell on anastasius illegally to 715 00:36:00 --> 00:36:05 examine the remains of the taxi arcus 716 00:36:02 --> 00:36:09 vampire she discovered that he was no 717 00:36:05 --> 00:36:12 mr. average as Vlad had been the person 718 00:36:09 --> 00:36:15 found in the doxiadis grave and had 719 00:36:12 --> 00:36:18 severe facial deformities especially in 720 00:36:15 --> 00:36:20 the area of the nose and the jaws and 721 00:36:18 --> 00:36:23 there was evidence of disease like 722 00:36:20 --> 00:36:26 lesions on the skull at probably a 723 00:36:23 --> 00:36:29 fungal infection to the brain what I 724 00:36:26 --> 00:36:32 think we have here is the poor division 725 00:36:29 --> 00:36:35 to form and we know from folklore that 726 00:36:32 --> 00:36:38 people with TB rabies or deformities 727 00:36:35 --> 00:36:40 were thought to become vampires after 728 00:36:38 --> 00:36:43 death and this is exactly what happened 729 00:36:40 --> 00:36:45 in this case the physical condition may 730 00:36:43 --> 00:36:48 have made people suspicious of them 731 00:36:45 --> 00:36:50 added to outrageous behavior in his part 732 00:36:48 --> 00:36:51 strange behavior on his part the 733 00:36:50 --> 00:36:54 presence of the stakes does indicate a 734 00:36:51 --> 00:36:54 suspected revenue 735 00:36:54 --> 00:36:58 so they weren't taking any chances when 736 00:36:56 --> 00:37:02 he was buried they put the stakes in and 737 00:36:58 --> 00:37:07 covered him up and so he remained till 738 00:37:02 --> 00:37:07 the fall of 1999 when we uncovered him 739 00:37:07 --> 00:37:12 but why didn't they drive their snakes 740 00:37:10 --> 00:37:16 homes as they had done with the earlier 741 00:37:12 --> 00:37:18 discovered glad maybe they were 742 00:37:16 --> 00:37:21 squeamish maybe they thought it was just 743 00:37:18 --> 00:37:25 enough to have them there as a sort of 744 00:37:21 --> 00:37:26 guardian of the grave fearing he would 745 00:37:25 --> 00:37:28 rise again 746 00:37:26 --> 00:37:32 the locals placed their vampire snakes 747 00:37:28 --> 00:37:33 beside him in the coffin but anastasiya 748 00:37:32 --> 00:37:39 thinks these snakes may have had a 749 00:37:33 --> 00:37:43 practical purpose to the spikes inside 750 00:37:39 --> 00:37:46 the grave were sharp and as the body 751 00:37:43 --> 00:37:49 swell during the composition they would 752 00:37:46 --> 00:37:52 have pierced the flesh and they would 753 00:37:49 --> 00:37:54 not have released all the internal gases 754 00:37:52 --> 00:37:57 by releasing the gases built up during 755 00:37:54 --> 00:37:59 decay the internal organs would have 756 00:37:57 --> 00:38:03 been exposed when the corpse would have 757 00:37:59 --> 00:38:05 dried out that speeded up the rate of 758 00:38:03 --> 00:38:07 the decay so after that if somebody 759 00:38:05 --> 00:38:11 wanted to pick up the body they will 760 00:38:07 --> 00:38:13 find only bones no vampire and to me 761 00:38:11 --> 00:38:16 this shows that the locals were taking 762 00:38:13 --> 00:38:16 no chances 763 00:38:24 --> 00:38:31 there is one final twist to the story of 764 00:38:27 --> 00:38:33 vampire Island during his research over 765 00:38:31 --> 00:38:36 the last 30 years Hector Williams has 766 00:38:33 --> 00:38:38 become fascinated by the writings of one 767 00:38:36 --> 00:38:45 of the area's most famous travel authors 768 00:38:38 --> 00:38:47 charles thomas mutant in the eighteen 769 00:38:45 --> 00:38:48 sixties Charles Newton who had been 770 00:38:47 --> 00:38:50 British vice consul at Medellin II 771 00:38:48 --> 00:38:53 published his memoirs travels and 772 00:38:50 --> 00:38:56 discoveries in the Levant and he refers 773 00:38:53 --> 00:38:57 at one place to an island near mythili 774 00:38:56 --> 00:39:00 knee 775 00:38:57 --> 00:39:02 in Italy knee the bones of those who 776 00:39:00 --> 00:39:05 will not lie quiet in their graves are 777 00:39:02 --> 00:39:08 transported to a small adjacent island 778 00:39:05 --> 00:39:10 where they are reinterred this is an 779 00:39:08 --> 00:39:12 effective bar against all future 780 00:39:10 --> 00:39:18 vagaries for the vampire to not cross 781 00:39:12 --> 00:39:20 salt water it's an intriguing clue a 782 00:39:18 --> 00:39:23 written text from a respected author 783 00:39:20 --> 00:39:26 telling of a small island near mytilini 784 00:39:23 --> 00:39:30 containing not one vampire but a whole 785 00:39:26 --> 00:39:35 vampire cemetery thanks to the vampires 786 00:39:30 --> 00:39:38 fear of salt water in Bram Stoker's 787 00:39:35 --> 00:39:40 classic gothic novel Dracula the count 788 00:39:38 --> 00:39:43 and always in Transylvania by sea 789 00:39:40 --> 00:39:45 travelling in a cockpit which is filled 790 00:39:43 --> 00:39:49 with his native soil 791 00:39:45 --> 00:39:51 a vocal taken from Eastern European 792 00:39:49 --> 00:39:52 stories about vampires 793 00:39:51 --> 00:39:57 in fact the vampire couldn't travel over 794 00:39:52 --> 00:39:59 salt water it is really many places that 795 00:39:57 --> 00:40:02 vampires and other supernatural beings 796 00:39:59 --> 00:40:04 cannot cross salt water so the villagers 797 00:40:02 --> 00:40:07 must have thought that to transfer a 798 00:40:04 --> 00:40:11 very a course or an island would be more 799 00:40:07 --> 00:40:14 than enough to stop the vampire attacks 800 00:40:11 --> 00:40:16 if the historians and scientists are 801 00:40:14 --> 00:40:20 right then somewhere off the coast of 802 00:40:16 --> 00:40:23 lesbos lies the real vampire island and 803 00:40:20 --> 00:40:30 the location of the world's first 804 00:40:23 --> 00:40:32 vampire cemetry Newton wrote these words 805 00:40:30 --> 00:40:36 about a hundred and forty years ago 806 00:40:32 --> 00:40:38 and we've been wondering what the Greeks 807 00:40:36 --> 00:40:42 did with their vampires beside bury them 808 00:40:38 --> 00:40:44 locally finding this passage suggested 809 00:40:42 --> 00:40:47 that we found out where they went over 810 00:40:44 --> 00:40:52 there to this little island of the 811 00:40:47 --> 00:40:54 village of Tam Villa from the shore it's 812 00:40:52 --> 00:40:57 almost impossible to see any evidence of 813 00:40:54 --> 00:41:00 burials so there's only one thing for it 814 00:40:57 --> 00:41:03 Hector is going to take to the skies 815 00:41:00 --> 00:41:03 [Music] 816 00:41:15 --> 00:41:19 we've just taken off from middle Eenie 817 00:41:17 --> 00:41:29 International Airport we're heading due 818 00:41:19 --> 00:41:32 north to the island of Buffalo we're 819 00:41:29 --> 00:41:33 about to come up on the island now so 820 00:41:32 --> 00:41:36 things should start getting interesting 821 00:41:33 --> 00:41:39 we're going to drop to about 500 feet 822 00:41:36 --> 00:41:41 under 50 meters that may be a little 823 00:41:39 --> 00:41:52 bumpy but we'll get a good view of the 824 00:41:41 --> 00:41:56 top of the Isle is that way we're going 825 00:41:52 --> 00:41:58 to circle around the island and look and 826 00:41:56 --> 00:42:01 see there's remains of a small building 827 00:41:58 --> 00:42:03 here on the north side there foundations 828 00:42:01 --> 00:42:06 of what looks like a basement a little 829 00:42:03 --> 00:42:09 bit further east of it could these be 830 00:42:06 --> 00:42:13 the burial sites places that may contain 831 00:42:09 --> 00:42:16 structures on the ground we have been 832 00:42:13 --> 00:42:19 able to pick out the lines of several 833 00:42:16 --> 00:42:20 buildings foundations that indicate 834 00:42:19 --> 00:42:23 there are buried structures on the 835 00:42:20 --> 00:42:23 island 836 00:42:24 --> 00:42:29 it's worth coming back with 837 00:42:26 --> 00:42:33 ground-penetrating radar as getting 838 00:42:29 --> 00:42:36 further details of the graves who knows 839 00:42:33 --> 00:42:39 what he'll find for now Hector must wait 840 00:42:36 --> 00:42:41 his curiosity wetland and replete in the 841 00:42:39 --> 00:42:45 knowledge that he may have discovered a 842 00:42:41 --> 00:42:49 world first a graveyard for the undead 843 00:42:45 --> 00:42:52 the real vampire island 844 00:42:49 --> 00:42:52 [Music] 845 00:42:54 --> 00:43:00 Hector's research has confirmed beyond 846 00:42:57 --> 00:43:06 doubt that vampires once roamed the 847 00:43:00 --> 00:43:09 island of Lesbos people his fume 848 00:43:06 --> 00:43:11 vampires are a mist that the Central 849 00:43:09 --> 00:43:15 European Balkan vampire evolved in a 850 00:43:11 --> 00:43:19 particular way that has fascinated 851 00:43:15 --> 00:43:22 people since the 18th century thanks to 852 00:43:19 --> 00:43:25 modern forensics medicine and science we 853 00:43:22 --> 00:43:27 now know that vampires were real people 854 00:43:25 --> 00:43:33 outcasts from society stricken with 855 00:43:27 --> 00:43:34 disease deformities or mental illness he 856 00:43:33 --> 00:43:36 must have been an outcast 857 00:43:34 --> 00:43:41 and this is why he was treated as a 858 00:43:36 --> 00:43:43 vampire after he died and even today in 859 00:43:41 --> 00:43:48 some parts of the world vampires are 860 00:43:43 --> 00:43:51 still regarded as a very real threat one 861 00:43:48 --> 00:43:55 of the most enduring and enduring of all 862 00:43:51 --> 00:43:55 supernatural beings 863 00:44:04 --> 00:44:07 you 54390