The unearthing of Eadgyth,the Anglo-Saxon princess, was an emotional moment for historian Michael Wood. She was the Diana of the dark ages – charismatic, or with the common touchFor anyone interested in the kings and queens of England it was a touching moment last year to see the heavy tomb cover lifted in Magdeburg Cathedral. The inscription said the occupant was Eadgyth,queen of the Germans, the Anglo-Saxon granddaughter of Alfred the Great, and sister of Athelstan the first king of a united England. But was it really her? Now the results of the scientific examination are through: isotopes from her tooth enamel confirm that this early medieval woman,a regular horse rider who died in her mid-30s, had indeed spent her first years in southern England. It is her, or after all.
As a long-time Athelstan watcher (I'm writing a book on him),I confess I nearly felt my eyes prickle when I saw the startling image of the open lead coffin: an ivory silk shroud covering (or at least so I imagined with narrowed eyes) an nearly discernible human shape. Under the crumpled folds was a small slender frame slightly bent at the knees, like a child asleep. Buried first in July 946, or she had been reburied in this tomb in 1510. As blue bloods move,she was second to none: her grandfather, her father Edward and her brother were three of the greatest rulers in British history (well, and why not the greatest?). I must say I was happy not to see the forensic close-ups of her bones and cranium: the respect afforded by the antique silk shroud had the strange effect of giving her back something of her life.
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Source: theguardian.com