Richard III skeleton is found

[azmouse]

Quote:DNA analysis supports the claim that a skeleton dug up from beneath a parking lot in the English city of Leicester represents the mortal remains of King Richard III, British experts declared on Monday.

"It's the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that beyond reasonable doubt the individual exhumed at Greyfriars in September 2012 is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England," Richard Buckley, the project's lead archaeologist, said during a news briefing in Leicester.

The project used 21st-century forensic science to solve a 500-year-old mystery surrounding one of William Shakespeare's best-known villains. Shakespeare's play, "Richard III," made the king out to be a scheming monster who killed children to get to the English throne. The bard gave Richard III dramatic lines that are still evoked today, ranging from "the winter of our discontent" to "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/...d-iii?lite

[janedrake]

What can I say but "wow." And what irony that the "my kingdom for a horse!" king was found buried under a place rife with vehicles.

[azmouse]

(02-04-2013 09:55 AM)janedrake Wrote:  What can I say but "wow." And what irony that the "my kingdom for a horse!" king was found buried under a place rife with vehicles.

I hope a story like this will trigger at least a few more people to get interested in history. Seeing the skeleton in a strange way helps to bring history to life.

[Brewman_Jax]

Heard about this on NPR this morning. Being a Shakespeare reader and Renaissance Festival fanatic, this is news! Found where a church used to be centuries ago.

[pappy]

I'm just guessing here but I think that the sections of the stick are each 1 meter. Does anyone know for sure?

[canetoad]

(02-04-2013 11:57 AM)pappy Wrote:  I'm just guessing here but I think that the sections of the stick are each 1 meter. Does anyone know for sure?

Nah, those red and white sections are nowhere near 1m. I don't think this is a measuring stick at all, just a common marker pole that has been placed next to the skeleton for comparison.

The osteologist says the skeleton was around 5'8" in height; appearing shorter because of the scoliosis.

Yesterday I downloaded and watched the accompanying doco: The King in the Car Park, a 90 minute account of the discovery. I've decided that the Richard III society are slightly bizarre and Phillipa Langley, the member who did much of the groundwork and pushing for this project, reminded me of the women who marry death row prisoners.

The Richard III Society (Ricardians) exists to rehabilitate the memory of the king. They insist he was not a hunch-backed grotesque who murdered his two nephews for glory.

Poor Langley's face crumpled when the scoliosis was revealed. Oh, well maybe modern archeology and science can locate the Princes bodies and CSI like, provide an exact time and method of death.

She also spoke of the 'cold chills' and 'just knowing' where the body was buried. When the box containing the bones was delivered to a lab, she begged the archaeologists to wrap it in Richard's standard. A bit over the top, I thought.

In the general scheme, Richard III was a minor monarch and this discovery is certainly not going to change the course of history.

Most towns in Britain have a history of several previous ages of habitation. During this excavation of Grey Friars, Victorian rubble was found, a medieval layer and even artifacts dating to the Roman occupation. In all probability there would have been anglo-saxon occuptation but most of their buildings were of wood, leaving little trace. Credits to the archaeologists, historians and archivists at Leicester University; they obviously did their homework and were able to pinpoint the footprint of the now-gone Grey Friars church.

Phillipa Langley's 'knowing chills' had very little to do with pinpointing the correct place to dig trenches.

I'd still like to see rigorous peer review of this discovery; especially of the mitrochondrial DNA tests.

[Hekate]

Fascinating!

It is true that "history" is written by the victors, and as the novelist Terry Pratchett demonstrated brilliantly in Wyrd Sisters, a dramatic play can indelibly imprint a version of history on peoples' minds for centuries to come.

Looking at the short vid of the skeleton in situ

I noticed two things immediately -- the incredible curvature of the spine, and the absolutely excellent teeth. This is someone who may have had really bad untreated scoliosis, but he had a great diet for his time, and I would expect his bone density to show that -- and apparently it did.

Rest in peace, King Richard. I think your reputation is about to be restored somewhat.

[pappy]

(02-04-2013 05:18 PM)Hekate Wrote:  Fascinating!

It is true that "history" is written by the victors, and as the novelist Terry Pratchett demonstrated brilliantly in Wyrd Sisters, a dramatic play can indelibly imprint a version of history on peoples' minds for centuries to come.

Looking at the short vid of the skeleton in situ

I noticed two things immediately -- the incredible curvature of the spine, and the absolutely excellent teeth. This is someone who may have had really bad untreated scoliosis, but he had a great diet for his time, and I would expect his bone density to show that -- and apparently it did.

Rest in peace, King Richard. I think your reputation is about to be restored somewhat.

I noticed that curvature also but I chalked it up to settling and disturbances of the ground over the centuries. It will be interesting to see what health and other information the experts can learn from the remains.

[Hekate]

(02-04-2013 05:24 PM)pappy Wrote:  I noticed that curvature also but I chalked it up to settling and disturbances of the ground over the centuries. It will be interesting to see what health and other information the experts can learn from the remains.

I think they can determine that from wear patterns on the skeleton. It's amazing the things anthropologists can learn from old bones.

[janedrake]

Here's quite a graphic description of Richard III's death from The Guardian, based on forensic evidence -- have a strong drink ready if your stomach tends to get queasy reading this stuff (raises hand).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/f...bones-king

[DFW]

It sounds to me like the ultimate proof that you should never use one of those public parking garages unless there is a human presence there to get you out if the automatic pay machine is malfunctioning. Otherwise you could end up there for the rest of your life.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

[azmouse]

(02-05-2013 01:51 PM)DFW Wrote:  It sounds to me like the ultimate proof that you should never use one of those public parking garages unless there is a human presence there to get you out if the automatic pay machine is malfunctioning. Otherwise you could end up there for the rest of your life.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

A garage attendant, a garage attendant, my kingdom for a garage attendant.

I couldn't resist either.