Richard III Really Ate and Drank Like a King

The chemistry of King Richard III's bones and teeth has shed light on how his social status, diet and where he lived changed during his life. The study suggests that – as one might expect – he feasted lavishly on luxury foods and wine after he became king during the last two years of his life, before being killed at the age of 32 at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

The mortal remains thought to be those of Richard III were found in September 2012 under a Leicester car park – a landmark discovery that supported historical accounts of Richard III's death and final resting place, as well as confirming he suffered from scoliosis, curvature of the spine. Now, chemical analyses of tooth and bone samples have added further insight into the king's life and corroborated historical records.

'The discovery of known individuals in archaeology is extremely rare. As well as wanting to find out as much about Richard III’s lifestyle as we could, it was also a unique opportunity to test isotope techniques by crosschecking historical records with our data,' says Angela Lamb, who conducted the work with colleagues at the British Geological Survey and the University of Leicester, UK.