Richard IIIwas King of England for just two years during the 15thCentury when he died at the Battle of Bosworth . The resting post of King Richard remained a mystery for many years , but in 2012 archeologists finally recovered his skeletal frame from beneath a car park in Leicester . Since then , scientists have been examining his remains in the hope of finding out more about this gothic King . Now , in a study release in theJournal of Archaeological Science , entrancing details about his life and diet have been revealed through analysis of his teeth and bones .
For the investigation , which was lead by the British Geological Survey andUniversity of Leicesterresearchers , the team analyzed the chemical science of two teeth and two ivory : the femur and the rib . All of these develop and remodel at unlike stage of life , allowing the researchers to tack together bits of information from other adolescence until curtly before he give-up the ghost .
To reconstruct his liveliness history , the scientist performedisotope(strontium , N , O , carbon and lead ) analysis on the teeth and bones . King Richard ’s tooth , which organise during his puerility and former adolescence , confirmed that he get up in Northamptonshire , but also suggested that he relocate by the time he was 7 , mayhap affect further Dame Rebecca West . This is because the phosphate atomic number 8 isotope ratio of his tooth tooth enamel were more typical of populations residing in areas that experiencedhigher rainfall .
Carbon and nitrogen values also suggested that his diet significantly changed when he moved out from Northamptonshire , transfer from a diet high in meat and Pisces towards a cereal - based diet . This was quite unexpected contribute that moneyed families would have consume more meat and fish and less cereal . However , when they looked at his femoris , which represents an norm of long - term conditions , they discover he move back east as a young adult and during this time he had a diet distinctive of aLate Medieval aristocrat : clams , ale , heart , Pisces and wine .
in conclusion , the researchers prove one of his rib . This bone remodels quickly and therefore only represent the last few old age of his living . They found a significant shift in the nitrogen , but not C , isotope value , which could suggest another move but this does not match with diachronic record . or else , the researchersspeculatethat this faulting may defend another important change in his diet which likely reflects his time as King . In fussy , they think it could be explained by an increase in consumption offreshwater fish and birdssuch as swan , Grus and Hero of Alexandria which were all popular luxury item feasted upon at royal banquets .
Another interesting finding was that his oxygen isotope valuesincreasedtowards the end of his life , which could designate that he became prone to a cheeky draft of wine . As before , this period matches up with his time as King , reinforcingthe idea that wealthy members of smart set regularly feasted and consumed lots of wine .
In sum total , this inquiry has provided a rare and exciting opportunity to equate scientific findings with conflicting historical records , pour forth light on various aspects of the life of this highly controversial character .
