German dig team unearths Saxon Queen
Archaeologists thought the tomb in which the remains were found was empty
Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed what are believed to be the remains of one of the oldest members of the English royal family, according to researchers at Bristol University.
Bones believed to be those of Queen Eadgyth - the ancient spelling for Edith - were found in a lead coffin inside what was thought to be an empty cenotaph at Magdeburg Cathedral.
Upon opening the ancient tomb, archaeologists were amazed to find a nearly complete female skeleton wrapped in silk, triggering speculation that it was the final resting place of the Saxon Queen.
Eadgyth, who died in 946 aged just 36, was the wife of Otto I, the Holy Roman Emperor, to whom she bore at least two children.
Despite finding an inscription on the coffin bearing Eadgyth's name, the German team that made the discovery is reluctant to officially name the skeleton as the remains of the late Queen.
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It is known that she was first buried at the Monastery of Mauritius in Magdeburg. This means that if the remains are hers, they must have been moved to this later 16th century tomb.
Professor Harald Meller, of the National Museum of Prehistory in Saxony Anhalt, who led the project, said: "We still are not completely certain that this is Eadgyth although all the scientific evidence points to this interpretation. In the Middle Ages bones were often moved around, and this makes definitive identification difficult.
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