Saturday, May 11, 2013

Found: One English King's Remains Under a Parking Lot-- Part 1

From the February 5, 2013, USA Today "The winter of his discontenty no more?" by Naomi Westland.

Five centuries after Richard III was buried, the last Plantagent king, his skeleton was found under a Leicester city parking lot.  This brings to a close the long-debated question of what happened after he was killed in battle 528 years ago.  Tests are being made on the skeleton to learn more.

His remains will be reburied in Leicester Cathedral.

The skeleton was found last September during a University of Leicester dig at the site of a former medieval church, Grey Friars, now a parking lot for a social services office.  Imagine someone parking over the grave of an English king?  (Or, leaking oil on it?)

It had a Roman nail and head injuries which are consistent with records of his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.  It also had a curved spine, fitting with reports that one of his shoulders was higher than the other.

Over the last four months, many tests have been done on the remains including a computed-tomography *(CT) and radio carbon-dating.  Medieval military specialists have advised on the types of weapons that would have caused the skull damage.  Also DNA test have been made, comparing it with a sample of Canadian furniture-maker Michael Ibsen, 55, now confirmed, along with his siblings as the 17th-generation descendant of Richard III's sister, Anne of York.

Found You.  --Cooter

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