Many believe that we live in a world in which the thin veil between the living and the dead is easily broken. If this is true, does it mean that death is not the end of our existence? Are there really poltergeists and spirits? And do we visit our nearest and dearest after we've died to let them know that we're OK?
Some believe that malevolent demons are only expelled through exorcism, and others that human emotions can be captured in the fabric of our surroundings. Discover the spirit world, its history and theories
Ghost History
Whether we choose to believe or not in ghosts and spirits, there is no denying that we only have to look through history to find a wide range of spooky encounters.
In the A.D. first century, a ghost was reported to haunt a house in Athens belonging to Pliny the Younger. According to Pliny, the ghost would rattle chains and take the form of an old man with a beard.
The first poltergeist was recorded in A.D. 856, at a farmhouse on the banks of the Rhine River in Germany. The spirit tormented the family by throwing stones, banging on walls and making fires. Even when several priests armed with holy relics came to visit, it sent them packing with a hale of stones.
Sightings of spectral armies after key English Civil War battles were reported in contemporary sources; similar accounts also came from Gettysburg, The Somme and Gallipoli.
The last 200 years have seen a huge increase of interest in science but also in the spirit world. It seems that no matter how much we progress, we have a natural interest in ghosts.
Fact File: Anne Boleyn's ghost holds the record for most sightings. Since her execution in 1536, she's been spotted 30,000 times in 120 locations.
Next: Famous Poltergeists
