Airdate: Mystery of the Celtic Tomb

History channel screens the special Mystery of the Celtic Tomb next month.

The Celts, who were they? Where did they come from? Were they mystical druidic people of the British Isles – or gruesome, barbarian warriors who got under Caesar’s skin? The answers lie deep inside mountains and in ancient tombs.

In the heart of the European Alps remarkable evidence of a culture that thrived 3,000 years ago has been found trapped and perfectly preserved inside sealed salt mines. In a massive nearby cemetery, the remains of over 1,500 people interred with countless precious artefacts have been excavated. These were the Celts and they were neither British nor barbarians. They were an advanced civilisation that ruled over a Kingdom of Salt. Rare, precious salt gave them wealth and power.

Now, another Celtic puzzle – inside a 2,400-year-old tomb the remains of a woman and two men have been
recovered. She was an aristocrat; they were giants of men. A shaman and her entourage? Relatives or sacrifices? An interdisciplinary team of scientists is working to unlock the secret of this ancient ménage à trois; it may be the first real evidence of mystical rites from the dawn of the Celts.

Monday May 4 at 7.30pm on History.