The year 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. In preparation for a television special on the Bard, Channel 4 sent investigators to Shakespeare’s burial site at Holy Trinity church in Stratford-on-Avon, where they used ground-penetrating radar to see inside the crypt. What they found gives credence to a rumor that Shakespeare was the victim of grave robbers over 200 years ago. His head looks to be missing.
The most striking conclusion is that Shakespeare’s head appears to be missing and that the skull was probably stolen from what is a shallow grave by trophy hunters.
Kevin Colls, the archaeologist who led the team, said the grave was not as they had expected. “We came across this very odd, strange thing at the head end. It was very obvious, within all the data we were getting, that there was something different going on at that particular spot. We have concluded it is signs of disturbance, of material being dug out and put back again.”
The evidence is not exactly conclusive, and the church’s vicar isn’t disposed to disturb the grave any further. The Channel 4 special on Shakespeare will air Saturday night. -via Metafilter
(Image credit: David Jones)