After the Notre Dame fire in 2019, two mysterious coffins were found buried beneath its floor. Where did they come from | dG1fUWJxM180Qk9xN00
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00:00Paris, April 15th, 2019, a fire breaks out in Notre-Dame Cathedral.
00:07It engulfs the roof, bringing the iconic spire crashing to the ground.
00:14The collapse leaves a huge hole in the heart of the building.
00:19But it also sets the stage for surprising discoveries that might shed new light on the history of Notre-Dame.
00:30As they clear away the floor, first they uncover a network of brick tunnels dating back to the 19th century.
00:38And it doesn't require special handling.
00:41But what archaeologists see next does.
00:44Human remains.
00:48A sealed, lead sarcophagus of unknown age.
00:53Finding bodies is not completely unexpected.
00:57Burials in and around the cathedral are part of its history.
01:02But a sarcophagus like this one is very rare.
01:06And immediately begs the questions.
01:09Whose remains are these? And why are they here?
01:15Here, at Rongai Hospital in Toulouse,
01:18a team of anthropologists, forensic doctors and radiologists will analyze the contents of the coffins.
01:27Hello.
01:30Canon Antoine Delaporte's sarcophagus, as well as that of the John Doe, are first carefully cleaned.
01:39Professor Eric Courbessy, an anthropologist at the University of Toulouse,
01:44examines the two sarcophagi with archaeologist Christophe Beignet before opening them.
01:50A few teeth remain. The canines are in place.
01:54He's looking for any clue or detail on the surface of the coffins.
02:01The enlargement for the buttocks here. Have you ever seen this before or not?
02:06I don't recall.
02:07No.
02:09Unlike Antoine Delaporte's sarcophagus, this unknown coffin has a unique hourglass shape.
02:17These lead coffins were usually custom-made.
02:21Lead being a particularly soft and malleable metal,
02:25it was the perfect material to make an airtight, human-shaped capsule.
02:32Armed with an angle grinder, they start with Antoine Delaporte's sarcophagus.
02:40The bottom of the coffin is very badly eroded.
02:44What will this mean for the condition of the remains inside?
02:48Is everyone holding it?
02:49Everyone's got it, yes.
02:50OK, let's do this.
02:51All right, can I?
02:52Yeah, I have. You can give it to me, it's OK.
02:55It's OK, I've got it.
02:57All right, let go. Let go, boys.
03:01If the coffin had remained completely sealed,
03:05Delaporte's body would likely have been better preserved.
03:10Next, the mystery sarcophagus.
03:14It is a bit harder to open because its lead walls are much thicker.
03:22It is also less damaged, with fewer holes.
03:27So archaeologists hope the body inside will be better preserved than Antoine Delaporte.
03:32The lid is also much heavier to lift up.
03:36OK.
03:37OK, hold on.
03:39You can let it go now.
03:41You can let it go now.
03:43It's good.
03:47It's sawed off.
03:48An immediate surprise for the archaeologists.
03:51John Doe's skull is sawed off.
03:55It's not a human skull.
03:57An immediate surprise for the archaeologists.
04:00John Doe's skull is sawed open.
04:03Oh, beautiful.
04:04There's a leaf.
04:05There's lots of them.
04:06There's lots of leaves.
04:07Oh, wow, that's beautiful.
04:09There are spikes of plants.
04:11That's beautiful.
04:12It's great.
04:16This coffin is full of unexpected discoveries.
04:21The body has been buried with plants.
04:24But what kind?
04:25And why?
04:26And what possible reason had there been to saw open the skull?
04:31So many questions.