Draw your own conclusion from the wealth of evidence provided.- "BBC History Magazine, 2001" This book presents a compelling study of the remains of those killed in the bloodiest battle on English soil. Smith "American Journal of Physical Anthropology 117, 2002" This book tells the fascinating story of the piecing together of the evidence as to how the soldiers died.Not least this book is a medieval murder mystery. This includes the role the Towton analysis plays in corroborating history and providing a point of departure for archaeological or forensic (e.g. Therefore, there is no ambiguity about the role particular research has in contributing to the total picture. Additionally, each chapter provides a clear overview of the goals and of the data analysis, and concludes with an outline of the main points. For the avocational historian, there is a comprehensive glossary of pathological terms and several pages of simple line drawings of basic skeletal anatomy, with the bones and essential landmarks labelled. There is also careful description of the unconventional recovery technique (e.g., use of the electronic distance meter dovetailed with rectified vertical photography) and a thoughtful reassessment of archaeological field techniques effective for location battlefield sites (which typically have a long history of looting). For the professional archaeologist/bioarchaeologist, the raw data for each individual are provided in tabular and/or descriptive format, either in the text or in an appendix. Each chapter has a comprehensive bibliography. Though professionally written, the text is not peppered with jargon or paradigm issues. 'The editors target both a professional and lay audience and succeed extraordinarily well, considering the breadth and depth of the subjects covered. excessive and mutilating head trauma), and the 2-km distance of the grave from the traditional location of the battlefield.' These revolve around the non-Christian manner of interment, the particularly brutal manner of death (e.g. It advances forensic analysis of burials and of mass graves, in particular, and points the way for future analysis of catastrophe cemeteries and of multi-disciplinary historical studies, generally.'-William J White "The Ricardian 12, 2002" This book showcases the broader role of mortuary and forensic data as an adjunct to history, particularly since the nature and location of the mass grave raised several cultural-historical questions. It is amply illustrated with many excellent diagrams and plates.'-Mark Brennand "Assemblage" ( 12:00:00 AM) This book is magnificently produced. In this lucidly written and beautifully edited book, the scholars of Bradford have helped the dead of Towton to speak, to tell us who they were, and how they lived, fought, and died.'-Frederick Butzen "Journal of the American Medical Association 286, No. Blood Red Roses is distinguished by its unusual combination of broad scope, painstaking detail and sensitivity.'-Corrine Duhig "Antiquity, 75, 2001" The archaeologists, anthropologists, pathologists, and historians of Bradford should be thanked for the care and skill they brought to this work. The photographs are excellent, and Caroline Needham's drawings outstanding. 'The value of this report lies in the thoroughness with which the burials are placed within the context of the battle and the skill with which the battle is set within the historic landscape.'-Lawrence Butler "Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 2002" A thorough and elegant volume. an impressive report which will stand as a model of its kind, superseding that of Thordeman (1939) who examined over a thousand skeletons in four mass burial pits from the battle of Wisby in 1361.' The second edition features new chapters by a re-enactor and a history teacher, which apply the research from the initial study to produce a veritable 'living history'. Blood Red Roses contains all the information about this fascinating discovery, as well as discussing its wider historical, heritage and archaeological implications. As well as the exciting forensic work the project also revealed much about medieval weaponry and fighting. The discoveries were dramatic and moving the individuals had clearly suffered traumatic deaths and subsequent research highlighted the often multiple wounds each individual had received before and, in some cases, after they had died. This was the catalyst for a multi-disciplinary research project, still unique in Britain ten years after the initial discovery, which included a study of the skeletal remains, the battlefield landscape, the historical evidence and contemporary arms and armour. In 1996 a mass grave of soldiers was discovered there by chance. The Battle of Towton in North Yorkshire, fought during the Wars of the Roses, was reputedly the bloodiest battle ever seen on English soil.
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