The scientific study of teeth and bones is transforming our knowledge of our historic past
So British scientists have proved some bones found in Magdeburg Cathedral to be the remains of our Anglo-Saxon Princess Eadgyth. At least, science helped. Eadgyth was known to have been buried in Germany: in 2008 archaeologists there opened her tomb, and found a lead box containing bones from a woman of the right age, with an inscription saying they were her remains.
In a more innocent age, this might have been enough to settle the case. But today we like science, the full CSI drama. Yet before we get too cynical about Eadgyth (the science showed that the woman in Magdeburg probably grew up in southern England), we should recognise that the technique used is transforming the way we think about our ancient and early historic past. Something big is going on.
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Saturday, 19 June 2010
German cathedral bones 'are Saxon queen Eadgyth'
Scientists have revealed that they think bones found in a German cathedral are those of one of the earliest members of the English royal family.
The remains of Queen Eadgyth, who died in 946, were excavated in Magdeburg Cathedral in 2008.
The granddaughter of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, the Saxon princess married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929.
Read the rest of this article...
The remains of Queen Eadgyth, who died in 946, were excavated in Magdeburg Cathedral in 2008.
The granddaughter of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, the Saxon princess married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929.
Read the rest of this article...
The life of an Anglo-Saxon princess
The unearthing of Eadgyth, the Anglo-Saxon princess, was an emotional moment for historian Michael Wood. She was the Diana of the dark ages – charismatic, with the common touch
For anyone interested in the kings and queens of England it was a touching moment last year to see the heavy tomb cover lifted in Magdeburg Cathedral. The inscription said the occupant was Eadgyth, queen of the Germans, the Anglo-Saxon granddaughter of Alfred the Great, sister of Athelstan the first king of a united England. But was it really her? Now the results of the scientific examination are through: isotopes from her tooth enamel confirm that this early medieval woman, a regular horse rider who died in her mid-30s, had indeed spent her first years in southern England. It is her, after all.
Read the rest of this article...
For anyone interested in the kings and queens of England it was a touching moment last year to see the heavy tomb cover lifted in Magdeburg Cathedral. The inscription said the occupant was Eadgyth, queen of the Germans, the Anglo-Saxon granddaughter of Alfred the Great, sister of Athelstan the first king of a united England. But was it really her? Now the results of the scientific examination are through: isotopes from her tooth enamel confirm that this early medieval woman, a regular horse rider who died in her mid-30s, had indeed spent her first years in southern England. It is her, after all.
Read the rest of this article...
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Remains of first king of England's sister found in German cathedral
Bones offer insight into royal life of Eadgyth, whose brother Athelstan married off to German king in 929, say scientists
She ate lots of fish, rode frequently, may have suffered from a disease or an eating disorder at 10 and regularly moved around the chalky uplands of southern England, presumably as she followed her regal father around his kingdom.
Analysis of remains found in a German cathedral have not only confirm they belonged to the granddaughter of the English king Alfred the Great but also given an insight into the life and times of a Saxon princess.
Read the rest of this article...
She ate lots of fish, rode frequently, may have suffered from a disease or an eating disorder at 10 and regularly moved around the chalky uplands of southern England, presumably as she followed her regal father around his kingdom.
Analysis of remains found in a German cathedral have not only confirm they belonged to the granddaughter of the English king Alfred the Great but also given an insight into the life and times of a Saxon princess.
Read the rest of this article...
German cathedral bones 'are Saxon queen Eadgyth'
Scientists are to announce that bones found in a German cathedral are those of one of the earliest members of the English royal family.
The remains of Queen Eadgyth, who died in 946, were excavated in Magdeburg Cathedral in 2008.
The granddaughter of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, the Saxon princess married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929.
Read the rest of this article...
The remains of Queen Eadgyth, who died in 946, were excavated in Magdeburg Cathedral in 2008.
The granddaughter of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, the Saxon princess married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929.
Read the rest of this article...
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