King Richard III Hastily Buried, Hands Tied
Source: heritagedaily.com
World first academic peer-reviewed paper on the University of Leicester’s Search and Discovery of Richard III reveals slain king was buried in hastily dug grave.
An academic paper on the archaeology of the Search for Richard III reveals for the first time specific details of the grave dug for King Richard III and discovered under a car park in Leicester.
University of Leicester archaeologists have published the first peer-reviewed paper on the University-led archaeological Search for Richard III in the prestigious journal Antiquity.
The paper reveals:
- Richard III was casually placed in a badly prepared grave – suggesting gravediggers were in a hurry to bury him
- He was placed in an ‘odd position’ and the torso crammed in
- The grave was ‘too short’ at the bottom to receive the body conventionally
- Someone is likely to have stood in the grave to receive the body – suggested by the fact the body is on one side rather than placed centrally
- There is evidence to suggest Richard’s hands may have been tied when he was buried
The paper – by a team from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, and Department of Genetics – follows the public revelation in February by the University of Leicester that the University had discovered King Richard III.
It followed a three-week dig started in August 2012 at what was once the medieval Grey Friars church in Leicester – now a Leicester City Council car park.
The paper reveals that the King’s grave was too short for him and had an untidy “lozenge” shape, with the bottom of the grave much smaller than it was at ground level.
The head was propped up against one corner of the grave, suggesting the gravediggers had made no attempt to rearrange the body once it had been lowered in.
There were also no signs of a shroud or coffin.
This is in stark contrast to the other medieval graves found in the town, which were the correct length and were dug neatly with vertical sides.
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Read the full article at: heritagedaily.com
