Archaeologists have discovered the skeleton of a medieval man who literally ᴅɪᴇᴅ wearing his boots while excavating a site near the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a massive pipeline known as Lᴏɴᴅᴏɴ’s “super Sewer.”
According to Beth Richardson of the Museum of Lᴏɴᴅᴏɴ Archaeology, “it’s Extremely Rare To Discover Any Boots From The Late 15th Century, Let Alone A Skeleton Still Wearing Them” (Mola).
And these Thigh Boots With the Tops Turned Down Are Very Unusual For The Period. They would have been expensive, therefore it is unclear how this man came to own them.
The man was not purposefully buried, according to the body’s position: face down, right arm over the head, left arm bent back on itself. Additionally, it is unlikely that he would have been laid to rest in such pricey and highly sought-after leather boots.
Despite the fact that the cause of ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ is unknown, archaeologists believe the man ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛally and his body was never recovered. He may have fallen into the river and been unable to swim. Or perhaps he drowned after becoming stuck in the tide mud.
According to Niamh Carty, an osteologist or skeletal specialist at Mola, “we Know He Was Very Powerfully Built.”
“His Shoulder And Chest Muscle Attachments Are Clearly Visible. The muscles were developed over a long period of time by performing a lot of heavy, repetitive work.
The physical toll was caused by work. The Booted Man had osteoarthritis, even though he was still only in his early 30s, and years of bending and lifting had already caused the vertebrae in his back to fuse.
His left hip wounds suggest he walked with a limp, and his nose had at least one broken bone. On his forehead, there is evidence of blunt force trauma that had already healed when he ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ.
The exam is still going on. The results of an isotope investigation will reveal the man’s upbringing, diet, and if he was a native or immigrant of Lᴏɴᴅᴏɴ.
“His Family Never Had Any Answers or A Grave,” claimed Carty. “The remembering deed we’re carrying out. We make it possible for him to tell his story.
Sources:dailylifeworld.com
