The Bones of a King: Richard III Rediscovered

The dramatic story of Richard III, England’s last medieval king, captured the world’s attention when an archaeological team from the University of Leicester identified his remains in February 2013. Bones of a King presents the official behind–the–scenes story of the Grey Friars dig, and the subsequent archaeological and scientific analyses, based directly on the research of the specialists directly involved in the discovery.   Featuring numerous photographs of the king’s remains and the dig site, Bones of a King brings to life the Leicester team’s journey from dig to identification, showcasing the work of experts from archaeologists to geneticists in this landmark event in British history. Bones of a King presents the details of his life, health, diet and death, as well as the wider archaeological and historical settings of the events leading up to his burial in Grey Friars church. It also covers the DNA retrieval and match to modern descendants of Richard III’s sister that played a role in allowing experts to make a positive identification. Beyond explaining the mystery surrounding this infamous monarch, Bones of a King is an elegant example of the way modern–day specialists collaborate to solve the mysteries of the past.

The Grey Friars Research Team, co–ordinated by the University of Leicester, is a multi–disciplinary group of specialists brought together for the excavation and analysis of the Grey Friars site where the remains of Richard III were identified in 2013. The team includes the following experts, listed alphabetically: Jo Appleby, Julian Boon, Richard Buckley, Richard Earp, Jane Evans, Sarah Hainsworth, Norman Housley, Turi King, Sarah Knight, Mark Lansdale, Phillip Lindley, Mary Ann Lund, Ather Mirza, Piers Mitchell, Bruno Morgan, Mathew Morris, Deirdre O’Sullivan, Anita Radini, Guy Rutty, Kevin Schurer, Caroline Wilkinson, and Robert Woosnam–Savage.   Lin Foxhall is a Professor in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester. She was Head of the School at the time of the discovery and has been directly involved in much of the subsequent research, analysis and publication.   Maev Kennedy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, studied history at University College Dublin, and now writes on archaeology and the arts for the Guardian.  She is a recipient of the Current Archaeology award for her archaeological journalism.