This fascinating series takes aspects of the popular phenomenon of forensic crime television and mixes it with genuine, gruesome human remains. In six riveting episodes, Tomb Detectives uses the most advanced scientific tools to gather more information about the human remains and make conclusions about the life and death of the people who previously inhabited them. The topics for the episodes come from all over the globe, as do the scientific researchers who perform analyses. The cinematography and subject matter are not for the faint-of-heart.
“Bog Bodies” highlights remains preserved in the peat bogs of northern Europe for over 2,000 years. I have seen photographs of similar bodies in magazines, but seeing moving images of these people’s remains is haunting. Fascinating, but haunting. In “Plague Mummies,” scientists use naturally preserved mummies from a crypt in Hungary and the Sudan in order to find clues about diseases currently plaguing mankind. There’s nothing like seeing scientists hack into bodies to take bone marrow samples. “Child Mummies” is the episode that is most disturbing. The study of mummified remains of babies and fetuses (yes, fetuses) found in Chile has actually lead to a discovery affecting the health of people who now live in the area. Convincing reenactments for each set of remains adds to the realism—and the humanity of the remains.
In addition, the episodes explore a French “Battlefield of Bones” with no heads, decapitated skulls found near a Roman military base in northern England, and “Vampire Graves” from 19th century Connecticut cemetery where the corpses have all been mangled to prevent the undead from rising again.
For fans of the science in forensic science TV shows, Tomb Detectives delivers real-life mystery with real-life technology and real-life scientists. Ok, so there’s no romance and no recurring cast, and none of these corpses have maggots in them or have been crushed in a trash compactor. In all honesty, truth is stranger—and a heck of a lot more interesting—than fiction.
Reviewed by Adrin Fisher
