Vlad the Impaler's dungeon has reportedly been discovered in Turkey by archeologists, while they were restoring a castle where the Ottoman authorities held the man who would later become the inspiration for the haunting classic tale of Dracula the vampire.
Bram Stoker's 19th century work of Dracula, the most famous vampire in literature, is actually based on a historic character that has turned into a revered folk hero in Romania and other parts of Europe and, recently, one of the most fascinating characters of Eastern European history has seen the light again in news across the globe after new evidence of his life comes out to the public: the finding of Vlad the Impaler's dungeon.
The finding of Vlad the Impaler's dungeon happened in Tokat Castle, as scientists were performing a 10-week restoration of the old building; as a matter of fact, they were working on a completely separate area of the castle. This place saw Vlad, who gets his Impaler name because the man was famous for doing just that to his enemies, imprisoned back in the mid 15th century.
The new discovery of Vlad the Impaler's dungeon is one of the two discoveries made by archeologists during the restoration of the castle, according to The Huffington Post. Besides the two dungeons, there's also a secret tunnel, which leads to the Pervane Bath and a military shelter, says a report from Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News.
One of the archeologists working at the excavation site, Ibrahim Çetin, told the Daily News that he, along with the team, "try to shed light on history with the structure layers we unearth." He said that the team has also found food cubes and an open terrace, all of which form a greater structure that was basically "built as a prison."
As Vlad the Impaler's dungeon is discovered, archeological work on the site continue - perhaps somehow the scientists will be able to identify exactly which of the two dungeons had Vlad imprisoned nearly six centuries ago.
