Digging for Richard III- Mike Pitts (epub)

Digging for Richard III: How Archaeology Found the King (2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded)

By Mike Pitts

Published by Thames & Hudson in 2015

English, 248 pages

In 2012, archaeologists found the long-lost grave of Richard III, England's most disputed monarch and probable murderer of the Princes in the Tower. 'Digging for Richard III' is the page-turning story of how the grave was found, the people behind the discovery and what it tells us. It is the first complete narrative of a project that blended passion, science, luck and detection. This was a Tutankhamun for our times.

This is an insider's gripping account of how modern archaeology really works, of how clues meticulously assembled and forensically examined are pieced together to create a narrative worthy of the finest detective fiction.

First came the news that archaeologists were searching for a king in a car park. Next it was said they had located the church where Richard had been buried. Finally it was announced that a skeleton had been found with curved spine and battle wounds. All the studies, including analysis of anatomy, DNA, high-resolution scanning and a digital facial reconstruction, led to one thing. This really was the King.

"Compulsively readable" - David Miles, former Chief Archaeologist at English Heritage.

"Couldn't put it down. A must for anyone interested in English history" - Francis Pryor, author of 'Britain in the Middle Ages'