Richard III- Unearthed

Richard III

During the excavation of Greyfriars in Leicester, the bones of Richard III were re-discovered. With the use of radar and GIS the medieval King was rediscovered in Leicester under a public car-park. The excavation was lead by researchers from Cambridge and Leicester Universities-. The skeleton was uncovered an speculated to be Richard based on the curvature of his spine that inspired the infamous humped character in Shakespeare's Richard III. Along with connecting historical accounts of Richard III's injuries to the record on the bones, genetic information was compared to the modern descendant of Richard's closest relative, his sister, Anne of York

After verifying a maternal match using mitochondrial DnA, an attempt to confirm a paternal match was made. The paternal match proved negative with the skeleton exhibiting a very rare type of DnA not present in paternal descendants. Historians and archaeologists estimate that the paternity certainty among nobles in England had a false paternity of about 1-3%. This is leading researchers to believe that there may have been a case of false paternity either of Richard or one of his descendants. Richard's DnA also identified him as having blue eyes and blond hair, although portraits done during his lifetime indicate Richard had brown hair. One explanation of this is that DnA best indicates the color of ones hair in childhood and blond haired children often develop darker tresses as they mature.

Using the bones researchers were able to determine the cause of Richard's death as well. They confirmed historical accounts of Richard dying on the field of battle after being stuck on the head. The posterior portion of the skull was removed from the skeleton and a small piece of metal was found lodged in a vertebra. The skeleton also exhibited signs of post mortem wounds. There have been determined to be humiliation wounds that  were incurred during the parade of the fallen kings body. In addition to several spear wounds and sword wounds inflicted after death, Richards feet were also removed post mortem.

In addition the soil around Richard's remains has been examined by archaeoparaciteologists. Thus for the earth has revealed that Richard had an extreme intestinal infection of roundworms. Researches estimate that his diet would have been severely affected by the worms who may have grown to almost a foot in length. Richard's bones also revealed a rich, high protein diet that is analogous to court life.

When the bones were exhumed no coffin, clothing or grave goods were present, an indicator both of the age of the grave and the manner in which Richard was interred. As of present Richard III's remains will be given a reburial at Leicester Cathedral following British law of reburial close to the original grave site.The British government has announced that there will be a week of celebratory events before Richard is reburied to celebrate the monarch, who is the ancestor of the current Royal family. The exhumation of Richard III's body both provided opportunity to study the Kings death but also to relocate him to a more suitable burial location.

References

Holden, Michael. "After 500 Years, Richard III's Bones Yield Their Secret." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 04 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

Maranzani, Barbara. "Was Richard III Riddled With Roundworms?" History.com. A&E Television Networks, 04 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

Rincon, Paul. "Richard III DNA: Infidelity Surprise." BBC News. BBC, 2 Dec. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Bring Out Your Dead

What Is Exhumation?

Exhumation is the process of digging up a body – post burial. Exhumations are most commonly utilized for the purpose of moving a corpse to a new location for the sake of a family situation. In cases like this, it may comfort a family who may be moving to have their loved one “move with them.” It can be comforting to know that a loved one is near-by, deceased or otherwise.


In Shadrack Smith’s situation, an exhumation may settle a religious dispute. Shadrack Smith was a gypsy man who passed away at age 89 in a Romany gypsy community, and then was buried in a multi-faith cemetery. Normally, this wouldn't cause any trouble, the plot directly next to Smith’s belongs to a Muslim man. The Muslim man’s family has complained about their relative being buried next to “a non-believer”. Exhumation may be a solution for this case, as Smith’s family could move his body, and settle this dispute.





(Pictured above: Shadrack Smith's grave next to his Muslim neighbor's grave)



Exhumation can also be used for forensic purposes, often times, someone who has died may have passed away in some unexplained way, for example, they may have been murdered. Sometimes a body can be exhumed and forensic tests can be performed in order to find a cause of death and possibly put a criminal to justice. Exhumations can also be the source of entertainment, often the bodies of famous people will be put on display.

It has been said that the study of forensics is one of two disciplines that destroys what is being studied. The other discipline where this is the case is archaeology. In the process of archeological excavation, the context in which an item of interest is located is destroyed. In these cases, it is impossible to restore that context. This is especially relevant in the context of exhumations.

On the one hand, exhumed remains may offer valuable insights into areas like the diet and lifestyle of a group of people, or even insights into how to treat medical conditions arising in groups descended from that people. On the other hand, descendant populations often have very strong objections to the exhumation of their ancestors. Many consider research performed with these remains to be disrespectful of cultural traditions and religious beliefs.

This has long been the case in the United States, where native peoples have historically been at odds with universities and other institutions over exhumed remains. Scientists contended that the large collections of exhumed remains owned by these institutions provided a valuable resource to be studied. Descendant populations, however, objected to what they viewed as a desecration of their ancestors. Legal battles eventually led to the creation of NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

NAGPRA requires all agencies and institutions that receive federal funds to repatriate anything deemed a “cultural item” to lineal descendants of the original group to which the item belonged. “Cultural items”, in this context, include funerary objects, sacred objects, and other cultural goods. Especially relevant, however, is the inclusion of exhumed human remains in the definition of a “cultural item”. The Act also laid the groundwork to establish policy regarding the accidental uncovering of human remains. The Act also criminalized the trafficking in Native American remains. NAGPRA has changed the way exhumed remains are studied in the United States and has helped somewhat to bridge the gap in point-of-view on the different sides of the ethical debate over exhumations. The treatment of the dead is a very delicate subject, however, so exhumations will always provoke some form of debate.

References 

 MailOnline, Steph Cockroft for. "Gypsy Man 'could Be EXHUMED'" Mail Online. Associated 

               Newspapers, 11 Feb. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

"The Development of NAGPRA." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

United States. National Park Service. "NPS Archeology Program: The Native American Graves                   

   Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of 

   the  Interior, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.