A Skeleton discovered in Stirling Castle has given new insights into the short and brutal life of a medieval knight.
New testing techniques have allowed archaeologists to determine the bones - discovered under the floor of an ancient chapel - are likely to be the remains of an English knight named Robert Morley. Morley is on record as having been killed during a tournament at Stirling Castle in 1388.
And analysis of the skeleton revealed he had suffered several serious wounds in previous battles, including one which left him with a large arrowhead lodged in his chest. Bone regrowth around a dent in the front of his skull indicates Morley, who archaeologists believe was only in his teens to mid-20s, also recovered from a severe blow from an axe. But the fatal blow during the tournament was delivered by a sword which sliced through his nose and jaw.
Morley's skeleton was found along with 11 others in 1997 but it is only now that new technology - including laser scanning - has allowed the remains to be examined more accurately.
Peter Yeoman, Historic Scotland's head of cultural resources, said: "By using modern analysis techniques, we have started to discover remarkable information about this man. "It appears he died after a short and violent life. His legs were formed in a way that was consistent with spending a lot of time on horseback. "The upper body points to someone who was well-muscled, perhaps due to extensive training with weapons. "This, and the fact that he was buried at the heart of a royal castle, suggests he was a person of prestige, possibly a knight."
Richard Strachan, Historic Scotland's senior archaeologist involved in the analysis of the skeleton, said carbon dating suggested it was Morley. He said: "Radio carbon dating is not an exact science but the date we came up with for this skeleton was 1390. That's only two years difference. "We have been able to look at this skeleton with the benefit of new technology and techniques we didn't have available in 1997. "The key may be the teeth analysis. This will hopefully tell us exactly where this person was born and brought up. "It's to do with oxygen isotopes and shows the water you drink as a child, which creates a sort of 'fingerprint' on the teeth and never changes. "This analysis will also hopefully give us some dietary information. "We believe he was aged between 18 and 26 when he died. "He was about 5ft 7in and was well built but he clearly had a hard life - these were troubled times, historically."
In addition to his wounds, the knight had also lost a number of teeth - perhaps from a blow or a fall from a horse. The arrowhead appeared to have entered through his back or under his arm.
Gordon Ewart, of Kirkdale Archaeology, who carried out the excavation and some of the research, said: "At first, we had thought the arrow wound had been fatal but it now seems he survived it and may have had his chest bound up."
The building where the skeletons were found had been known as the Governor's Kitchens for centuries. But the discovery proved it was the"lost" private chapel of James IV - the oldest known building in the castle, dating to the early 1100s.
All of the bodies had been given Christian burials, with their heads to the west awaiting the resurrection. The only certain female skeleton died in middle age with two neat, square holes through her skull consistent with blows from a war hammer.
Other skeletons are consistent with being soldiers of rank, who had died in the castle during a siege and so were denied proper burial in a parish church.
The excavation was part of a longterm Historic Scotland project to discover more about the castle's past and enhance its appeal as a worldclass visitor attraction.
Fuente: http://www.archaeologynews.org
Fecha: 01/07/2009.
New testing techniques have allowed archaeologists to determine the bones - discovered under the floor of an ancient chapel - are likely to be the remains of an English knight named Robert Morley. Morley is on record as having been killed during a tournament at Stirling Castle in 1388.And analysis of the skeleton revealed he had suffered several serious wounds in previous battles, including one which left him with a large arrowhead lodged in his chest. Bone regrowth around a dent in the front of his skull indicates Morley, who archaeologists believe was only in his teens to mid-20s, also recovered from a severe blow from an axe. But the fatal blow during the tournament was delivered by a sword which sliced through his nose and jaw.
Morley's skeleton was found along with 11 others in 1997 but it is only now that new technology - including laser scanning - has allowed the remains to be examined more accurately.
Peter Yeoman, Historic Scotland's head of cultural resources, said: "By using modern analysis techniques, we have started to discover remarkable information about this man. "It appears he died after a short and violent life. His legs were formed in a way that was consistent with spending a lot of time on horseback. "The upper body points to someone who was well-muscled, perhaps due to extensive training with weapons. "This, and the fact that he was buried at the heart of a royal castle, suggests he was a person of prestige, possibly a knight."
Richard Strachan, Historic Scotland's senior archaeologist involved in the analysis of the skeleton, said carbon dating suggested it was Morley. He said: "Radio carbon dating is not an exact science but the date we came up with for this skeleton was 1390. That's only two years difference. "We have been able to look at this skeleton with the benefit of new technology and techniques we didn't have available in 1997. "The key may be the teeth analysis. This will hopefully tell us exactly where this person was born and brought up. "It's to do with oxygen isotopes and shows the water you drink as a child, which creates a sort of 'fingerprint' on the teeth and never changes. "This analysis will also hopefully give us some dietary information. "We believe he was aged between 18 and 26 when he died. "He was about 5ft 7in and was well built but he clearly had a hard life - these were troubled times, historically."
In addition to his wounds, the knight had also lost a number of teeth - perhaps from a blow or a fall from a horse. The arrowhead appeared to have entered through his back or under his arm.
Gordon Ewart, of Kirkdale Archaeology, who carried out the excavation and some of the research, said: "At first, we had thought the arrow wound had been fatal but it now seems he survived it and may have had his chest bound up."
The building where the skeletons were found had been known as the Governor's Kitchens for centuries. But the discovery proved it was the"lost" private chapel of James IV - the oldest known building in the castle, dating to the early 1100s.
All of the bodies had been given Christian burials, with their heads to the west awaiting the resurrection. The only certain female skeleton died in middle age with two neat, square holes through her skull consistent with blows from a war hammer.
Other skeletons are consistent with being soldiers of rank, who had died in the castle during a siege and so were denied proper burial in a parish church.
The excavation was part of a longterm Historic Scotland project to discover more about the castle's past and enhance its appeal as a worldclass visitor attraction.
Fuente: http://www.archaeologynews.org
Fecha: 01/07/2009.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario