Date:

Skulls, longbows, arrows … and nitcombs! Science sheds light on life aboard Tudor warship

A selection of combs found on board the carrack Mary Rose.

- Advertisement -

Tudor skulls, bones, longbows, arrows and nitcombs were among the array of artefacts examined by Bishopston Comprehensive School pupils as Swansea University academics showed how 21st century technology is shedding new light about life aboard the 16th century warship The Mary Rose.

Nick Owen and Dr Sarah Forbes-Robinson from the Colleges of Engineering and Science visited the Year 8 pupils at the school to reveal how science and technology has helped them to discover more about the lives of the people on board Henry VIII’s warship which was sunk in 1545.

Mr Owen, a Sport and Exercise Biochemist who has been working with The Mary Rose Trust, showed pupils his work on samples of skeletons that were raised with the ship from the Solent in 1982.

Mr Owen’s research has focussed on the bones believed to be those of an elite company of professional archers who were known to have been on board the ship when it went down. Many of the skeletons show evidence of repetitive stress injuries of the shoulder and lower spine which are thought to be as a result of the shooting heavy longbows regularly.

Mr Owen said: “Archers had specialist techniques for making and using very powerful longbows. Some bows required a lifetime of training and immense strength as the archers had to pull weights up to 200lbs (about 90kg).”

Mr Owen has carried out biomechanical analysis on the skeletons of the archers and identified the effect of a life of using very powerful longbows on the musculoskeletal system, making some bones almost 50% bigger on one side of the body compared with the other.

- Advertisement -
Mary Rose circa 1546 : Wiki Commons

Dr Forbes Robertson, a Biologist who specialises in DNA and genetics showed the pupils more about her research analysing tiny samples of DNA found in the skeletons.

She said: “The children looked at what DNA is, and how it has the potential to give us a great deal of detailed information from minute samples and can reveal more about the crew on board, such as their skin tone, hair and eye colour.”

When the findings from the DNA research are finalised they will be sent to forensic artist Oscar Nilsson in Sweden who is working with 3-D virtual images and 3D printed images of the skulls created by the university to make accurate reconstructions of the skulls.

Mr Owen said: “We hope that our findings will not only inspire a new generation of would be scientists here in Bishopston Comprehensive School but also re-create a slice of life from The Mary Rose nearly 500 years after she was sunk.”

Contributing Source : Swansea University

HeritageDaily : Archaeology News : Archaeology Press Releases

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is a multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Archaeologists investigate sacred Piedra Letra monument

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have conducted a study of Piedra Letra, located on a hill overlooking Huehuetónoc in the Mexican state of Guerrero.

Monument linked to Iberian star mythology discovered in Jódar

Archaeologists from the Research Institute for Iberian Archaeology (IAI) at the University of Jaén (UJA) have discovered a monument connected to the sun and other celestial bodies within Iberian mythology.

Project is restoring Costa Rica’s mysterious stone spheres

A joint team of specialists from Costa Rica and Mexico are restoring three stone spheres at the Finca 6 Museum Site in Palmar de Osa.

Inscription sheds light on First Emperor’s quest for immortality

China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was born in 259 BC in Handan, the capital of Zhao. He was originally named Ying Zheng, or Zhao Zheng, with ‘Zheng’ drawn from Zhengyue, the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Artefacts from Battle of Dubienka unearthed near Uchanie

On July 18th, 1792, Polish forces under General Tadeusz Kościuszko clashed with Russian troops in what became one of the defining engagements of the Polish-Russian War.

Submerged port discovery could lead to Cleopatra’s lost tomb

Archaeologists have discovered a submerged ancient port near the ruins of the Taposiris Magna temple complex west of Alexandria, Egypt.

Archaeologists begin landmark study of Dzhetyasar culture settlements

Archaeologists from the Margulan Institute of Archaeology and the German Institute of Archaeology are conducting the first ever large-scale study of Dzhetyasar culture sites in Kazakhstan.

Study reveals arsenical bronze production during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom

A new open-access study published in Archaeometry unveils the first direct evidence of arsenical bronze production on Elephantine Island, Aswan, dating to Egypt’s Middle Kingdom (c. 2000–1650 BCE).