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You can now explore the grave of King Richard III in 3D thanks to the work of researchers at the University of Leicester.
The university teamed up with 3D platform Sketchfab to create a 3D scan of the king's grave, which uncovered under a car park in Leicester in 2012.
The scan lets users zoom in, move around and learn facts about the king and his grave, from his crooked spine to the "poorly dug grave" in which he was found. There are also details on damage to his skill, which was apparently caused by "a number of different sharp bladed weapons such as swords, daggers, knives and halbards".
As well as being poorly dug, the model also shows that the grave was too small for the body -- the king's head is propped up because the space is too small. The body is also missing feet because "a pit has been dug through them after burial". A combination of 3D scans and detailed drawings of the grave were used to create the model.
The team created the 3D model to "preserve the grave for posterity". "Under normal circumstances, the best protection is to carefully cover the archaeology with a protective membrane and rebury it," the team said in a statement. "However, it was intended that Richard III’s grave would remain uncovered; indeed, today it is preserved beneath a glass floor in the visitor centre for all to see." "A nice Roman mosaic or a bit of ruined wall is relatively easy to consolidate but something like a grave, which is essentially a hole dug in the ground is more problematic to maintain, for its structure comprises poorly combined soil which can easily erode away."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
