The Luckiest Dig in Archaeological History

Having tried to park in Leicester on multiple occasions, find Richard III’s skeleton in one makes total sense. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to give up my reserved spot either.

I never noticed how much Lord Farquaad looks like Richard III until looking at the thumbnail for this video XD

This story is literally just a bunch of my favourite things. Archeology, genealogy, history, delightfully odd coincidences, and a happy ending.

The young man Dominic Smee also proved that the custom made saddle that allowed Richard to maintain better balance in the saddle actually gave him an advantage over the other knights on horseback by improving his control and balance of his sword while charging on horseback.

Being a historian who has volunteered at archaeological digs, I can confirm that archaeology is as exciting and fast-paced as a snail marathon race. But those rare occasions when something of significance is found, makes the digging and boredom completely worth it.

I remember watching this in real time. My favorite part was when an archaeologist came over to inform a historian that the reason the body looked funny was that it had significant spinal curvature and the historian's response was "...I have to sit down for a moment."

"The chances of finding Richard was a million to one." - Richard Buckley (Ch. Archaeologist) “Million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten.” - Sir Terry Pratchett

Phillipa Langley did her research it was not just luck. She was pivotal in the discovery of Richard III remains. The entire team made history. Phillippa deserves her due recognition.

My favourite part of this is actually the human element of the experimental archaeology proving that not only could someone with Richard III's scoliosis easily wear armour and ride in battle but that the armour worked to support his body which actually made it more comfortable than walking around normally. This makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that nobility for a long time valued their ability to participate in battle regardless of physical ailments, so naturally the armour smiths of the time would have developed techniques for ensuring someone could wear their armour for as long as possible while remaining comfortable. Indeed one of my favourite myths regarding plate armour in particular is that it was so heavy you couldn't get up if you fell over, not only could you get up but you could easily fight provided the armour was correctly built for you and what you were doing. The problem is when you had armour built entirely for fighting from horseback and then were unhorsed, making you fight like someone wearing a scuba suit.

I remember hearing about this as it was going on. I heard she thought his bones where buried in the car park, then two years later, I heard she got permission to excavate. I was totally astonished. I didn't think she would get permission, and if she did, it would take at least five years. It takes five years just to get a new sign put up.

This is the single strangest situation ever. It’s just so odd how everything fell into place like that.

I was in Leicester one morning while Richard was laying in state, and since the queue was short (it was early), I made the snap decision to join it. I had followed it casually as local interest story, but I certainly didn't feel emotional about it. When I saw the coffin, beautifully made by his descendant, knowing that inside were the bones of a human who had been so disregarded since death and were finally shown care and dignity, I became really teary. I don't think anyone passed the coffin without being moved a little. 10 years on and still no movie made about it? Maybe it's too unbelievable that he was found on the first dig of the first day. Scriptwriters would struggle to create drama out of "Oh, there he is, exactly where we thought".

Must have been very confusing living in a world where everyone was named Henry, George, William or Richard.

I was aware of many of the details surrounding the discovery of Richard III's remains, including how lucky the dig team was in finding him in the first trench on the first day. However, many of the other details, such as the Bosworth reenactor having the same physical deformity, the researcher who found the procedure for royal re-burial, and Benedict Cumberbatch being descended from the Plantagenets, were new to me. I believe Philippa Langley fuller deserves that MBE. I am an American with absolutely no vested interest in the British Monarchy, but I love a juicy story, and the tales of the English Royals are full of interesting bits. This is a good one!

This whole story is so incredible. I remember the news when they announced they found him. My husband and I just stared at each other like, "...what??? UNDER A CAR PARK?!" I watched the documentary and funeral, and I admit I giggled a bit about how obviously enamored Philippa was with Richard and how disappointed she was at finding out he actually did have scoliosis. But I'll give it to her, she was like a dog with a bone. Good on ya, fangirl!

Makes you believe in miracles. I saw the documentary about the young man with scoliosis. He had never ridden a horse before, but actually learned to JOUST skillfully enough to re-enact some of Richard's jousting matches (and this wearing a heavy suit of armour!) Just incredible.

Reenactors: This will one day come in handy for history. --- The man who's body is exactly like King Richard: Raises his sword: My time has come.

Leicester local here. I moved here a couple of years before we found a king and won the premier league. What a time - clichéd as it sounds, the city came alive and felt like it wasn't just that place near Nottingham and Birmingham. So happy to see Leicester get the factboy treatment ❤

I often wonder how these historical people would react if they could see how their lives have either impacted the future or how they've been remembered all these years later. The Dr. Who episode with Van Gough gets me teary every time...

OMG, finding Richard III's skeleton was an amazing find and also helped me illustrate a point to one of my coworkers that history does, in fact, change. Before the find, we weren't 100% sure where he was buried, or what sort of 'deformity' he had given most of the accounts were written by enemies. Finding him definitively answered those questions.