Scientists Find King Richard III
Archaeology has always fascinated me. From the digs of King Tut in Egypt, to the mystery of the Shroud Of Turin, to reported sightings of Noah’s Ark. I’ve always been a magnet for archaeological searches and finds.
This next find was no exception. Scientists announced that they had found the remains of King Richard III and now they’ve put a face on history.
He was the King of England and for centuries he lay in a grave without a shroud or casket in an unknown grave. He was killed in battle in 1486 and scientists say his wounds were consistent with eyewitness accounts which were lucky enough to be recorded.
The above picture shows what he looked like based on facial reconstruction from his skull. A pageboy haircut, dark hair, prominent eyebrows and a warm cast to his skin, hinting at the good life a king would have enjoyed.
The reconstruction project was led by Caroline Wilkinson, professor of craniofacial identification at the University of Dundee. It was commissioned and funded by the Richard III Society.
“It was a great privilege for us all in the Dundee team to work on this important investigation,” Wilkinson said in a statement. “His facial structure was produced using a scientific approach, based on anatomical assessment and interpretation, and a 3D replication process known as stereolithography. The final head was painted and textured with glass eyes and a wig, using the portraits as reference, to create a realistic and regal appearance.”
A team of archaeologists, geneticists, genealogists and other scientists from the University of Leicester announced Monday tests that proved what they scarcely dared to hope — a scarred and broken skeleton unearthed under a drab municipal parking lot was that of the 15th-century king, the last English monarch to die in battle.
DNA tests performed on his living ancestors proved the authenticity of the remains.