The Archaeology of Medieval Warfare: Skeleton Stories from Stirling Castle, Towton and Visby
- Date: 21 May 2025, 17:00–19:00
- Location: Campus Gotland, E22
- Type: Lecture
- Lecturer: Dr Jo Buckberry
- Organiser: Dept Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation
- Contact person: Patrick Randolph-Quinney
- Phone: 0727780315
This lecture (delivered in English) will cover recent work using bioarchaeological and forensic science to understand medieval combat and battlefield trauma from three sites in the UK and Sweden, including the famous mass graves from Korsbetningen in Visby. Jo will discuss how forensic analysis of skeletal wounds, 3D modelling, and experimental archaeology are being used to understand combat and death on the medieval battlefield. This is part of a wider project in collaboration with researchers from Campus Gotland.
Dr Jo Buckberry is head of the Biological Anthropology Research Centre (BARC) at the University of Bradford, UK.
Her research focuses on analysis of human remains dating to the early medieval, medieval and post-medieval periods. She is particularly interested in burial practices, identity, evidence of disease, and trauma. Dr Buckberry was part of a research team researching several medieval individuals buried at Stirling Castle who died during the Scottish Wars of Independence (13th to 14th centuries), many of whom display evidence of injuries that occurred around the time of death. She has also studied early medieval execution burials and is currently researching the impact of the industrial revolution on health. She was recently invited to film a segment with survival expert Ray Mears on skeletons excavated from the Battle of Towton for an upcoming series on HistoryHit.com about the history of archery.