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July 26, 2014

The 3D printed replica of King Richard III's remains will be displayed at Leicester's new Richard III visitor centre, which is set to open its doors to the public today.

image credit: Leicester Mercury

More than 500 years after the death of the last English king to die in battle, the story of one of history's most controversial monarchs has been brought to life once again.

The centre, entitled 'King Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery,' tells the story of the king's life, brutal death and the fascinating story of his rediscovery.

The exhibits include a 3D printed replica of Richard's mortal remains, which show his famously twisted spine and the vicious and fatal wound, as well as a detailed facial reconstruction.

Richard III was killed at the Battle on his way from Nottingham to Bosworth where he met Henry Tudor. His body is thought to have been returned to Leicester and buried at the Grey Friars church.

A search for Richard's body began in August 2012. The dig was led by the University of Leicester working in partnership with Leicester City Council. In February 2013, researchers from the University of Leicester confirm that the remains discovered in Leicester city centre, under a car park, is that of King Richard III who died in 1485.

Researchers have revealed a wealth of evidence – including DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating and skeletal examination - proving the identity of the skeleton. Trauma to the skeleton indicates the individual died after one of two significant wounds to the back of the skull – possibly caused by a sword and a halberd.

After the bones had been scanned, a 3D scan of the skull was sent to the University of Dundee. The team there used Geomagic Freeform and CT scans of the king's skull and modelled the facial structure using 3D printing technology known as stereolithography. The final head was painted and textured with glass eyes and a wig, using the portraits as reference, to create a realistic and regal appearance.

Richard was 32 when he died. Examination of the remains have shown that Richard had no kyphosis or withered arm, despite this being a feature commonly attributed to him and his face is shown to be warm, young, earnest and rather serious.

The Leicester team has also analyzed Richard III's remains and created physical replicas of his spine using CT scan and 3D printing. The 3D visualization shows that Richard's spine has a "spiral" shape which helped researchers to determine that he had severe scoliosis.

Investigators also revealed ten injuries that his bones suffered shortly before his death, including a slice which was taken out of the skull, a cut to the ribcage and a pelvic wound.

The Leicester's new Richard III visitor centre are expected receive 120,000 visitors in the next 12 months. The Richard's remains would be reburied at St Martin's Cathedral Leicester in spring 2015.

'Dynasty' tells the much debated story of the king's life and times in a medieval England racked by decades of fighting in the Wars Of The Roses, detailing Richard's rise to power as the last king from the great house of Plantagenet.

 

'Death' gives visitors the chance to learn about the key players in the Battle of Bosworth and how betrayal led to the king being cut down in the thick of battle whilst defending his crown. This remarkable turn of events saw Henry VII seize the crown and ushered in a new chapter in the English monarchy: the Tudor dynasty.

 

Finally, 'Discovery' unearths the astonishing story of the archaeology, science and painstaking analysis that led to the rediscovery and identification of the long-lost remains of the king after excavating a grave beneath a car park which was the former site of the medieval friary of the Grey Friars. Completing the visitor experience will be a chance to visit the site of King Richard's grave, preserved in a quiet, respectful setting and with a contemplative atmosphere fitting for the last resting place of a slain warrior and anointed monarch.

 

via Leicester Mercury

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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Victoria wrote at 8/2/2014 9:23:27 AM:

I have to agree when I saw the hole put into Richards head with a large mattock I was shocked by the careless way they conducted the dig. That should not have happened at all. Very sad. I thought the feet had been missing for years. I understood the ground to have been disrupted due to digging nearby for a outhouse? If that is the case if there was a outhouse nearby perhaps that is why they found worms around Richard's bones when they tested the dirt. They say he had roundworm but could that have been affected by an outhouse that took the feet away. It sounds unusual but it is possible it could happen. I think the display of the skeleton is fine if it is done in utmost respect. He should not be kept in the box by the University, that is so wrong. I don't understand why the Queen would have no say in the burial of her ancestors bones? Couldn't she have said anything about the burial site and saved everyone from the long court case?

Blancsanglier wrote at 7/28/2014 7:47:29 PM:

This is hardly a true representation of what has actually happened though, is it?. The search for King Richard was NOT led by the University at all, they were commissioned and paid to do it by Philippa Langley and the Looking For Richard team, who raised the money from donations worldwide. In fact, they wanted to look in the wrong place and it was only through the insistence that they looked elsewhere by Dr John Ashdown Hill, that he was found. The University were very sceptical of Richard even being found at all and when he was, the first thing that happened was that Jo Appleby smashed a large hole in Richard’s skull with her mattock before he had even been lifted from the ground! His feet were missing but the spoils from the grave were never investigated. It was also through Dr JAH that the DNA was discovered a few YEARS before Richard’s remains were found.... it was he who tracked down Joyce Ibsen and made the connection between her and Richard’s sister after much detailed research. The Licence does state quite plainly that he could be interred ‘’or in a burial ground in which interments may legally take place’’ so he does NOT have to be buried in St Martins as they keep saying ‘it’s a condition of the Licence’ http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/burials-and-coroners/Exhumation-licence-12-0159.pdf I think also that ''The remains shall, no later than 31 August 2014, be deposited at Jewry Wall Museum or else he reinterred at St Martins Cathedral or in a burial ground in which interments may legally take place. In the meantime shall be kept safely, privately and decently by the University of Leicester, Archaeological Services under the control of a competent member of staff’’ has been disregarded too as we all know that he has been kept in a box under a kettle and that touting him around making copies of his skeleton and subjecting him to all sorts of unnecessary tests is not ‘’keeping him privately or decently’’.... The Licence should be revoked as the University has disregarded these conditions and it has also reneged on the various agreements it had with the Looking For Richard team, writing them out of any credits for Richard’s discovery and altering statements to fit in with their agenda. There is NO triumph in deceit and lies, only shame.

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