by emad » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:08 pm
<br>Experts believe they have uncovered the tomb of England's King Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey. <br><br>Archaeologists using radar have also discovered a series of royal tombs dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries in under-floor chambers. <br><br>The discoveries were made as experts investigated the construction of the Abbey's 13th-century mosaic pavement. <br><br>Consultant archaeologist Dr Warwick Rodwell said it was "of historical interest unparalleled anywhere else". <br><br>Dr Rodwell worked with expert Erica Utsi using high-frequency radar to look down to a depth of about 20 inches. <br><br>"Little did we expect that, lying beneath, we would find chambers, vaults and foundations... dating back to the very founding of the Abbey, over a millennium ago. <br><br>'New insights' <br><br>"We have never been able to locate the original tomb of Edward until now," he said. <br><br>"The Victorians tried to find out more about what tombs were under here, but they simply did not have the technology to do it. <br><br>"The mystery around the location of his crypt has been running for many years. Every day brings us new insights and new facts." <br><br>Edward reigned from 1042 to 1066 and was Patron Saint of England until 1415, when he was replaced by Saint George. <br><br>He was the first Sovereign to develop the custom of touching his people to cure them - a tradition that continued for nearly 700 years to the time of Queen Anne. <br><br>Further investigations are being carried out to establish more facts about the location, purpose, history and content of the main tomb and other chambers, graves and coffins. <br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4489842.stm">news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/engla...489842.stm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>
