Very Mysterious': Archaeologists Think They Found a Bit of History About the Real-Life 'Dracula

Archaeologists recently discovered two dungeons underneath a Turkish castle that they think once held the real-life Dracula.

Vlad the Impaler, who is thought to have inspired the character Dracula, was imprisoned in Tokat Castle. Archaeologists think they might have found his dungeon last month. (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

According to Hurriyet Daily News, the find came during the restoration of Tokat Castle.

“The castle is completely surrounded by secret tunnels. It is very mysterious,” archaeologist Ibrahim Cetin told the news site.

“It is hard to estimate in which room Dracula was kept, but he was around here,” Cetin said.

Dracula, as you probably know him, is portrayed as vampire character created by author Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel bearing the name as its title. Since then, the image of a cloaked figure with fanged teeth and a thirst for blood has resulted in several movie spinoffs and even a Sesame Street puppet. But Stoker though is thought to have based his character on a real person — Transylvanian born Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler.

According to the encyclopedia Britannica, the name Dracula derives from his family name, Dracul, with Dracula meaning "son of Dracul." After members of his family that ruled Walachia were killed, Vlad III battled against the Ottoman empire and the encyclopedia said it was during this time that he "committed the atrocities for which he was best known."

One of his more popular techniques was impaling people on stakes into the ground. Live Science reported in a feature last year that he is estimated to have killed more than 80,000 people, 20,000 of which were impaled and left outside the city Targoviste in Romania.

The exact dates of his captivity in Tokat Castle are unknown, but Hurriyet Daily News reported that he was thought to be held there from 1462 to 1474.

(H/T: DisInfo.com)

—

Front page image via Shutterstock.