Bones offer insight into the royal life of Eadgyth, who was married off to a German king in 929 by her brother Athelstan





Figure of Eadgyth from 1510


She ate lots of fish, rode frequently, may have suffered from a disease or an eating disorder at 10 and regularly moved around the chalky uplands of southern England, presumably as she followed her regal father around his kingdom.
Analysis of remains found in a German cathedral have not only confirm they belonged to the granddaughter of the English king Alfred the Great but also given an insight into the life and times of a Saxon princess.
Eadgyth (roughly pronounced Edith) was packed off by her brother as a diplomatic gift to Otto, the king of Saxony, more than 1,000 years ago. She died aged 36 and her remains were thought to have been lost forever until body parts were found wrapped in silk in a lead coffin two years ago.
Earlier this year the skeletal fragments were brought back to Britain, and experts at Bristol University will today spell out why they are sure the remains are those of Eadgyth and what they know of her life.
Mark Horton, an archaeology professor at Bristol, said it was "incredibly exciting" to confirm that the bones were the princess's and to find out more about her life.
"This period was when England was really formed," he said. "We don't know much about these dark age queens and princesses. This has created a connection with one of them."
Eadgyth was born in Wessex in 910 into one of the most powerful families in England. She was daughter of Edward the Elder, and half-sister to Athelstan, the first king of all England.
In 929 Athelstan sent her and her sister, Adiva, off to Otto and invited him to take his pick, sealing an alliance between two of the rising stars of the Saxon world. Eadgyth was chosen and the couple had at least two children before she died in 946.
Chroniclers of the time paid tribute to her beauty and recorded how devoted Otto was to her. She was also praised for her good works.
Eadgyth was buried in a monastery, but her bones were moved several times before being interred in an elaborate tomb in Magdeburg Cathedral in Saxony-Anhalt in 1510.
It had been assumed that the bones had vanished and the tomb was empty, but in 2008 German archaeologists opened it and found it contained a lead box holding skeletal remains.
The challenge for the archaeologists was to show that the remains, which had been moved so often, and could easily have been substituted by others, were those of Eadgyth.
A study of the bones at the University of Mainz confirmed that the remains belonged to a single female, who died between 30 and 40. One of the femur heads suggested the individual was a frequent horse rider, hinting at her nobility.
Analysis of the bones suggested she enjoyed a high-protein diet, including a large quantity of fish, which again suggested she was an aristocrat.
It proved impossible to extract DNA from the remains – and the problem then, anyway, would have been fbut finding a sample of a descendant to try to match them to. Unfortunately vital parts were missing, including hands, feet and much of the skull. But crucial scientific evidence came from the study of the teeth preserved in the upper jaw.
A technique measuring the strontium and oxygen isotopes mineralised in the teeth as they are formed was used. The value of these isotopes depends on the local environment and its underlying geology – this valuable data is effectively "locked into" the teeth.
Studying tiny samples of enamel allowed scientists to work out that she must have spent time in Wessex's chalky uplands.
Horton said it had been possible to map almost month by month where the woman had lived as a child and were able to check this against what is known about Eadgyth's youth. But the findings added detail to what was known.
He said: "Eadgyth seems to have spent the first eight years of her life in southern England, but changed her domicile frequently, matching quite variable strontium ratios in her teeth. Only from the age of nine, the isotope values remain constant.
"Eadgyth must have moved around the kingdom following her father, King Edward the Elder during his reign. When her mother was divorced in 919 – Eadgyth was between nine and ten at that point –both were banished to a monastery, maybe Winchester or Wilton in Salisbury."
Trauma was also indicated in her skeleton around this same age, suggesting a dramatic change in her circumstances. She may at this time have suffered a disease or eating disorder, said the scientists.
More tests will be carried out on the material found in the coffin but the princess will be laid to rest later this year when the bones are reburied in Magdeburg Cathedral.




Source:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...rman-cathedral

More about the discovery, this time from BBC




German cathedral bones 'are Saxon queen Eadgyth'



Eadgyth spent her childhood in southern England


Scientists have revealed that they think bones found in a German cathedral are those of one of the earliest members of the English royal family.
The remains of Queen Eadgyth, who died in 946, were excavated in Magdeburg Cathedral in 2008.
The granddaughter of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, the Saxon princess married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929.
The findings are due to be presented at the University of Bristol later.
A spokesman from the university said the bones were the oldest surviving remains of an English royal burial.
As the half sister of Athelstan, who is considered to have been the first king of all of England, Eadgyth had at least two children with Otto and lived most of her married life in Magdeburg, Saxony. She died aged about 36.
She was buried in the monastery of St Maurice but her bones were moved at least three times.
She was finally interred in an elaborate tomb at Magdeburg Cathedral in 1510, wrapped in silk in a lead coffin.

A study of the bones at the University of Mainz confirmed that the remains were those of a woman who died aged between 30 and 40.
Professor Kurt Alt found evidence that she was a frequent horse rider and ate a high-protein diet, including a lot of fish, hinting at her high status.
Director of the project Professor Harald Meller, of Germany's State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, said: "Medieval bones were moved frequently and often mixed up, so it required some exceptional science to prove that they are indeed those of Eadgyth.
"It is incredible that we have been able to do this using the most recent analytical techniques."
Banished to a monastery Crucial evidence came from the study of teeth in Eadgyth's upper jaw.
Researchers at the University of Bristol's Department of Archaeology and the Institute of Anthropology at Mainz University studied strontium and oxygen isotopes that mineralise in the teeth when they form.
Dr Alistair Pike, from the University of Bristol, explained: "By micro-sampling, using a laser, we can reconstruct the sequence of a person's whereabouts, month by month up to the age of 14."




The queen was interred in an elaborate tomb



They found the isotope results exactly matched records of Eadgyth's childhood and adolescence in Wessex.
Professor Mark Horton said: "Eadgyth seems to have spent the first eight years of her life in southern England, but changed her domicile frequently, matching quite variable strontium ratios in her teeth. Only from the age of nine, the isotope values remain constant.
"Eadgyth must have moved around the kingdom following her father, King Edward the Elder, during his reign.
"When her mother was divorced in 919 - Eadgyth was between nine and 10 at that point - both were banished to a monastery, maybe Winchester or Wilton in Salisbury."
Her bones will be reburied in Magdeburg Cathedral later this year, 500 years after they were interred there in 1510.




Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/bristol/10332975.stm