ARCHAEOLOGISTS discovered the remains of English royalty dating back 1000 years – the oldest find of its kind and shedding new light on the history of the Royal Family.
The unearthing of Queen Eadgyth, who died aged 36 in 946AD, represents one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in recent years. Researchers had believed the remains belonged to Eadgyth (Edith in modern English), the great granddaughter of Alfred the Great, but could not prove it. However, thanks to the use of hi-tech radioactive analysis of the remains, researchers were able to confirm that the bones belonged to someone who grew up in WesSєx before moving to Germany.
Archaeology news: The statue in Magdeburg Cathedral that is often ᴀssumed to represent Queen Eadgyth (Image: getty)
Archaeology news: Magdeburg Cathedral in Germany (Image: getty )
But when the tomb was investigated as part of a wider research project, a lead coffin was found inside bearing her name and inside that the nearly complete skeleton of a woman aged between 30 and 40.
The University of Bristol then carried out tests on the bones in 2008 to prove beyond doubt they are those of England’s oldest regal ancestor.
The crucial scientific evidence came from the teeth preserved in the upper jaw.
Eadgyth was the granddaughter of Alfred the Great and the half sister of Athelstan, the first acknowledged King of England.
She was sent to marry Otto, the king of Saxony in AD 929, and bore him at least two children, before her death at around the age of 36.
She lived most of her married life at Magdeburg, where the cenotaph is located.
