Digging for Richard III: How Archaeology Found the King

About the Author Mike Pitts is an archaeologist and award-winning journalist. He has been the editor of Britain’s leading archaeological magazine, British Archaeology, for over a decade. Product Description Take a cast of archaeologists and historians who inhabit different worlds. Add a medieval king who died in battle, and was revived by Shakespeare as the ultimate anti-hero. Throw in a forensic quest with almost unbelievable twists, and a theatrical modern burial with no parallel, and you have the material for an irresistible story for our times. In the hands of a leading archaeologist and award-winning journalist, the search for a king’s grave becomes the page-turning, entertaining, informed narrative that makes Digging for Richard III the must-read title on the most sensational archaeological find for generations. Review 'An utterly compelling read ... a book which tells us as much about modern archaeology and the personalities of those who found Richard, as it does about a long dead king. By the end you may well be dusting down your trowel and setting out for the nearest dig' - Will Gore, Independent on Sunday 'This book is about far more than the mere killing of a king. It’s about life, discovery and death … original and intriguing … as good as being there' - BBC History Magazine 'The vivid tale of a king, his demise, and the thrilling rediscovery of his remains … an insider’s account of how modern archaeology really works, and how it was used to piece together the mystery of Richard’s resting place' - Military History 'Not so much a who-dunnit, as a what- why- and how-dunnit: history’s most remarkable cold case, and a fascinating glimpse into the 21st-century world of faith, science and publicity. Compulsively readable' - David Miles, former Chief Archaeologist at English Heritage 'Spellbinding … Pitts’s narrative gives us changing moods, exact dialogue, expressions on faces - and mounting amazement as the uncovering of the skeleton proceeded' - British Archaeology 'An entertaining, knowledgeable and forensic examination of one of the most extraordinary archaeological digs ever' - Sir Tony Robinson, actor and amateur historian Book Description The page-turning story of one of the most remarkable excavations of recent times: the discovery of the burial site of King Richard III in a council car-park From the Back Cover ?In August 2012 a search began, and on February 4, 2013, a team from Leicester University delivered its verdict to a mesmerized press room and to the world: they had found the remains of Richard III, whose legacy was perhaps the most contested of all British monarchs. Prior to this major discovery, there had been little new information about Richard III for some time. With no new evidence to fuel it, the debate over what kind of man he might have been seemed to have stalled. Thus the story of the discovery of Richard III is a story of the value of archaeology careful analysis of physical evidence backed up by the latest science and technology and how it can change our understanding of history. Firsthand accounts from the team that found the king, along with photographs from the author s own archives and an expanded epilogue incorporating new DNA evidence, augment this compelling detective story as the evidence is uncovered."