Wednesday, September 17, 2014

"Modern Forensics Reveal Gruesome Details Of King Richard III's Death"

As we wait for economists to rouse themselves and react to the FOMC we will divert ourselves with io9:

Modern Forensics Reveal Gruesome Details Of King Richard III's Death
Richard III was the last king of England to die in battle. But as a new forensic analysis of his remains shows, he didn't just die in battle — he had the living tar beat out of him. Here's how this king met his maker on that fateful day in 1485. 
As you may recall, Richard III's remains were discovered in 2012 under a parking lot by archaeologists from the University of Leicester.
According to historical accounts, Richard abandoned his horse during the battle after it became stuck in a mire. He was then brutally attacked and killed while fighting his enemies. But the exact details of his death are largely unknown, at least until now.
A forensic imaging team, working with the Forensic Pathology Unit and the Department of Engineering at the University of Leicester, used whole body CT scans and micro-CT imaging of Richard's preserved bones to analyse trauma to the skeleton, and to figure out which of his wounds were fatal. In addition, the team analysed tool marks on bone to identify the types of medieval weapons used during the attack.

11 Distinct Wounds
It appears that the King sustained no less than 11 distinct wounds at or near the time of his death. Nine of them were to the skull, likely inflicted during the battle. This suggests he had either removed or lost his helmet. The other two wounds were to the postcranial skeleton (i.e., anything below the cranium).
Modern Forensics Reveal Gruesome Details Of King Richard III's Death
"Richard's injuries represent a sustained attack or an attack by several assailants with weapons from the later medieval period," noted study author Sarah Hainsworth in a press release. "The wounds to the skull suggest that he was not wearing a helmet, and the absence of defensive wounds on his arms and hands indicate that he was otherwise still armoured at the time of his death."...MORE