Monday
Feb042013
The Remains of King Richard III in Leicester
February 4, 2013 Grave site:
- Sloping sides
- Concave Base
- Too short for the individual
Body Condition:
- Feet missing
- Hands and sternum damaged
- Scoliosis (not from birth - due to grave being too small?)
- No withered arm (both used normally)
- Slender build
- Skull damaged in excavation
Preparation:
- No coffin
- No shroud
- No clothing in evidence
Position:
- Lower limbs fully extended
- Hands crossed right over left at hip (unusual - were hands tied?)
Observations:
- Very slender build
- Late 20s - 30s
- 5 foot 8 inches without curvature of spine
Injuries:
- None overlapped
- 1. Skull: small penetrating wound on top of head - direct blow from weapon rather than arrowhead - not fatal
- 2. Skull: large wound to base of skull at back - slice cut off skull by bladed weapon - could have been fatal
- 3. Skull: bladed weapon - wound 10.5cm - could have caused loss of consciousness and death
- 4, 5 and 6. Skull wounds on outer surface of vault - shallow - blade sword or halberd shaved off small area of bone - not fatal - blood loss
- 7. Skull: small rectangular injury on cheek bone - cause unknown - dagger - pierced cheek, came out on side of face
- 8. Skull: cut mark on lower jaw - bladed, knife or dagger - not fatal
- Helmet lost by this stage in order to have such injuries. Attacks to face less severe than other battle victims- were they done after death to humiliate?
- 9. Cut mark on rib - blow did not penetrate rib cage. During battle protected by plate armour. Stripped after battle, rib in back exposed.
- 10. Right pelvic injury - blade from weapon, knife or dagger, from behind, upward movement - reconstruction of pelvis indicates thrust into right buttock - protected in battle
- Possible when thrown over a horse, buttock exposed
Reader Comments (1)
Excellent summary, succinct and informative ...you lot do great work! Thanks for your efforts :-)