Digging for Richard III

Posted on 17 February 2018 by Mike Pitts

In 2012, archaeologists found the grave of Richard III Its sight had been unknown for centuries The quest had taken years of preparation followed by intensive archaeological study and almost no one had expected a result As the astonishing story of the discovery emerged, millions watched around the world.First came the news that archaeologists were searching for a king in a parking lot Next it was said they had located the church where Richard had been buried Finally it was announced that a skeleton with a curved spine and battle wounds had been found and was thought to be that of Richard Archaeologists urged caution as media frenzy led to questions in Parliament The scientific consensu came early in 2013 All the studies, including analysis of anatomy, DNA, high resolution scanning and a digital facial reconstruction, led to the conclusion that the skeleton was indeed Richard III, England s most disputed monarch and the probable murderer of the Princes in the Tower The events of Richard III s reign and his death in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth are known worldwide, made popular by Shakespeare s most performed, filmed and translated history play Digging for Richard III is the page turning story of how his grave was found and the people behind the discovery It is the first complete narrative of a project that blended passion, science, luck and detection Told by a noted archaeologist with access to all the parties involved, it follows the quest from an idea born in an Edinburgh bookshop to the day, fourteen years later, when two archaeologists carefully raised the bones from the parking lot in Leicester, and the scientific studies that resulted.The vivid tale of a king, his demise and his rediscovery, this is also an insider s gripping account of how modern archaeology, forensics and the meticulous analysis of clues can come together to create a narrative worthy of the finest detective fiction. Read Digging for Richard III By Mike Pitts – kino-fada.fr This book gives a fascinating account of the archaeological dig which unearthed the bones of Richard III under a car park in Leicester Although the bones were confirmed as Richard III s remains in February 2013 the dig began in August 2012 and, of course, the background goes back many years before that The book begins with a summary of Richard s life the last English monarch to die in battle There are also all the rumours about where Richard was supposedly buried and what might have become This book gives a fascinating account of the archaeological dig which unearthed the bones of Richard III under a car park in Leicester Although the bones were confirmed as Richard III s remains in February 2013 the dig began in August 2012 and, of course, the background goes back many years before that The book begins with a summary of Richard s life the last English monarch to die ...This book could easily have been some boring academic treatise but it is exactly the opposite It is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time It covers Richard III s life and death at Bosworth, one lady s obsession with his story and getting him found, convincing groups to fund an archeological dig, the dig it s self, reassembling the skeleton, identifying injuries, reconstructing his face and finally DNA confirmation that the skeleton actually is Richard III An easy read This book could easily have been some boring academic treatise but it is exactly the opposite It is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time...An enjoyable and easy read that manages to avoid the slow and difficult pacing that similar books often encounter This is probably because it is less of a history book andof a recounting of the build up to the excavation, the dig itself and the aftermath Whilst it does include a chapter that gives the reader a basic understanding of Richard III s life and the cultural turmoil that England was in, the main focus is on the archaeology.The other main factor in making this book an enjoyable An enjoyable and easy read that manages to avoid the slow and difficult pacing that similar books often encounter This is probably because it is less of a history book andof a recounting of the build up to the excavation, the dig itself and the aftermath Whilst it does include a chapter that gives the reader a basic understanding of Richard III s life and the cultural turmoil that England was in, the main focus is on the archaeology.The other main factor in making this book an enjoyable read is the writing style Mike Pitt s writes with all the ease and knowledge that you would expect from someone who has been editing Britain s major archaeology magazine British Archaeology , and this book will appeal to enthusiasts and professionals alike because of this Although it...I ve decided not to finish this I was an Anglophile in college, and was particularly interested in the much maligned Richard III I was fascinated when his bones were recently found and watched tv footage ab...2 22 18 I ve had this in my OverDrive Wish List for a while, and was sad to see that my library says that its license has expired, so it no longer has the rights to the ebook Dunno if I want to buy it or look for a print copy.History is written by the victors Winston ChurchillAs a 12 yr old, I read a book called The Last Plantagenet, an utterly romantic book of historical fiction narrated by a young commoner who is the mistress of Richard III The author makes the case, through this narration, that Richard III was vilified by history Josephine Tey wrote a book about a bed bound detective who investigates the story and finds enough in the historical record to indicate that Richard III was NOT the villain that Shak History is written by the victors Winston ChurchillAs a 12 yr old, I read a book called The Last Plantagenet, an utterly romantic book of historical fiction narrated by a young commoner who is the mistress of Richard III The author makes the case, through this narration, that Richard III was vilified by history Josephine Tey wrote a book about a bed bound detective who investigates the story and finds enough in the historical record to indicate that Richard III was NOT the villain that Shakespeare made him out to be Regardless of that, Richard III is an amazing play The film starring Ian McClellan which places Richard III in a 1930 s Nazi Bri...There is a lot to be said for a writer with an academic background who can make history and academic sciences appealling and accessible to the general reading public Mike Pitts in Digging for Richard III has achieved this with panache.With an historical context for every step of the journey, we can follow Richard through birth to death, through popular culture, and even modern prejudices No stone is left unturned, and it is refreshing to see a book focus on the archaeology itself within a br There is a lot to be said for a writer with an academic background who can make history and academic sciences appealling and accessible to the general reading public Mike Pitts in Digging for Richard III has achieved this with panache.With an historical context for every step of the journey, we can follow Richard through birth to death, through popular culture, and even modern prejudices No stone is left unturned, and it is refreshing to see a book focus on the archaeology itself within a broader historical context.Mike Pitts writes in a way which is wholly accessible He has an ease of style which makes this book a joy to read He doesn t inundate the book with unnecessary facts, a criticism I know has been levelled at this work I felt however that he included everything necessary without making this book a boring academic treatise, as so many archaeological texts are wont to be If you re looking...This is a totally fascinating and compelling book and is as exciting as an adventure story It tells how Philippa Langley became interested in Richard III and determined to find his grave having had a feeling she knew exactly where it was The task was taken on by an archaeological unit in Leicester which undertakes digs for the construction industry and local authorities when new building work is taking place to ensure than historical evidence is not overlooked and destroyed Their investigatio This is a totally fascinating and compelling book and is as exciting as an adventure story It tells how Philippa Langley became interested in Richard III and determined to find his grave having had a feeling she knew exactly where it was The task was taken on by an archaeological unit in Leicester which undertakes digs for the construction industry and local authorities when new building work is taking place to ensure than historical evidence is not overlooked and destroyed Their investigation had two aims to find the site of the long demolished Grey Friars in the centre of Leicester and also to try and find Richard III s grave Richard Buckley, the head of the ...A brief but easy to read discussion of the discovery of Richard III s skeleton in Leicester Pitts covers all sides of the story, from those who fought to have the excavation happen to the archaeologists who thought their clients were a bit nuts and who were wholly unconvinced that they d never find him to the scientists who performed the DNA tests that establi...I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads Digging for Richard III is a fascinating look at the process of finding Richard III s body, and the subsequent process of determining that the body was, in fact, his It starts at the very beginning, when the dig was first commissioned when no one believed that he was even buried there, much less that they would actually find him and follows each step, up until the final press conference It was interesting to read about the archaeolo I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads Digging for Richard III is a fascinating look at the process of finding Richard III s body, and the subsequent process of determining that the body was, in...

English
17 February 2018

Mike Pitts