xcgirl08:

gunhilde:

thebritishnobility:

Richard III : The twisted bones that reveal a king

• When Richard was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, he was said to have been buried in Greyfriars church, Leicester. But this church was lost until archaeologists excavated a car park and discovered medieval remains. Victorian foundations had almost destroyed the entire grave and the feet were lost, but the bones still promised to provide a treasure trove of information - would they also reveal a king?

 

• Richard III was portrayed by Shakespeare as having a hunched back and the skeleton has a striking curvature to its spine. This was caused by scoliosis, a condition which experts say in this case developed in adolescence. Rather than giving him a stoop, it would have made one shoulder higher than the other. Highlighted are the facing sides of the 10th and 11th thoracic vertebrae, showing uneven growth as the spine bent.

 

• Evidence of a number of wounds were found on the skeleton but the face area was largely unmarked, apart from a sliced cheekbone. The skull has undergone a CT scan and the results will be used to reconstruct the king’s appearance. No portraits made during his lifetime have survived and some later copies show signs of having been altered to make him appear more sinister.

 

• The back of the skull shows dramatic injuries. One consists of a hole near the spine, where a large piece of bone has been sliced away by a heavy bladed weapon such as a halberd. This, along with a smaller wound opposite, may well have been a fatal injury. A smaller dent which cracked the inside of the skull, is thought to have been caused by a dagger. There are a further five wounds on the skull, all inflicted around the time of death.

 

• The teeth of the skeleton have provided important information. As well as evidence of disease and tooth decay, calcified plaque can be analysed for evidence of diet and environment. He had lost several of his back teeth before he died, probably due to dental caries. DNA samples were extracted from the teeth and the right femur to compare with known descendants of Richard’s family. Despite the potential for DNA to degrade, a match was found.

• The back of the skull shows dramatic injuries. One consists of a hole near the spine, where a large piece of bone has been sliced away by a heavy bladed weapon such as a halberd. This, along with a smaller wound opposite, may well have been a fatal injury. A smaller dent which cracked the inside of the skull, is thought to have been caused by a dagger. There are a further five wounds on the skull, all inflicted around the time of death.

  Interactive feature produced by Greig Watson, Christine Jeavans, Mick Ruddy, Sophia Domfeh and Paul Kerley.

  Photographs by University of Leicester and Jeff Overs. Portrait of Richard III: Collection of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

I’m sure you’ve all heard lots about this already today, but it’s very exciting, and I couldn’t let the day go by without saying something about the confirmation of the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton, even if it’s just a reblog. As a bone specialist, this is probably my favourite post I’ve seen on the topic so far. So in honour of today’s historic news, here you are. I also saw a very interesting reconstruction of Richard’s face based on his skeleton, which I might try to post up later.

On a related note, the Prime Minister said it’s up to the university whether or not they throw a state funeral: but come on, when are you ever going to get another chance to send off a king who has been missing for 500 years?

…Anybody feel like taking a field trip in a few months?

Eduardo Matos Moctezuma 

This man is one of my heroes. He’s done work at some of the most important archaeological sites in the Americas, and for decades now he’s served as the director for both the excavations at the Templo Mayor and the accompanying museum. Additionally, he’s a prolific author. One book in particular, written with the equally-amazing co-authors Johanna Broda and Davíd Carrasco, completely revolutionized my understanding not only of the Templo and its builders, but religious architecture in general and the framework we use to understand how religion shapes us. It’s called The Great Temple of Tenochtitlan: Center and Periphery in the Aztec World and I would recommend it to anyone interested in religion, archaeology, Mesoamerica, or even just the way people work.

legrandcirque:

Sophie Schliemann, wife of archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, wearing jewelry excavated from ancient Troy, 1876.

Oh early archaeology. You so crazy.

more gpoy

gpoy monday

why-cant-we-all-just-get-along:

Yeah I have a book on Egyptian Grammar - and what.

More importantly, why doesn’t everyone have a book on Egyptian Grammar.

the-star-stuff:

The Lost Cities

These are some of the amazing photos of the Ageless Cities.

Always Palenque in these sorts of photosets. Seriously, what does it take to get some Tula or Monte Albán all up in this bitch?

Whatevs, least it’s not more Chichen Itza. 

tattoo-history:

The oldest tattoos anywhere in the world were found in September 1991 in the Oztal Alps between Austria and Italy. The Chalcolithic man who has come to be known affectionately as Otzi the Ice Man (not to be confused with this tattooed Ice Man) was estimated to have lived around 5,200 years ago. 

Otzi was the owner of several carbon tattoos, including, groups of short vertical lines across his lower back, a rough cross behind his right knee, two parallel lines on his wrist, various markings on his ankles and many more, adding up to a grand total of over fifty tattoos. 

The tattoos were performed not by a method of needle use, instead they were created through a cutting the flesh and rubbing charcoal into the incision. It has been theorised that since Otzi’s tattoos are located in places where he would have suffered considerable strain, that the tattoos were intended not as symbols but rather a form of therapy leading to pain relief. Interestingly, the positioning of the ice man’s markings correspond to skin acupuncture lines. If this was the intended purpose of the tattoos it pre-dates the Chinese practice of acupuncture by over 2000 years. 

Otzi’s body and his tattoos are now displayed in the South Tyol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyol, Italy.