2015年3月25日 星期三

Climbing Great Buildings


CK Chang 新增了 6 張新相片

[02.林肯大教堂]
[03.卡納芬城堡]
[04.牛津新學院]
(新增):
[05.雷耶馬尼塔樓]
[06.伯利莊園]
[07.聖保羅大教堂]
(還有8集)




CK Chang 新增了 15 張新相片
BBC [攀爬偉大建築 Climbing Great Buildings] (全15集) (2010) 先po四集喜愛 自然
**爬上高頂, 從罕有的視角看建築, 很棒!!**
  作為建築方面的歷史學家,Jonathan Foyle博士將會帶領我們攀爬英國的標誌性建築,以揭開這些偉大建築的神秘面紗。本次攀爬目標均是英國的偉大建築!
第一集 特勒姆大教堂 
  英國最壯觀的羅馬風格的建築,絕不會讓你失望,除非你把南森尼爾霍桑激情四溢的過譽之詞太當真,霍桑寫到“我生平從未見過如此壯觀美麗的景色,也不奢望能看到更好的了。”憑心而論,沒有哪座建築能夠美到那種地步,但是,這座典型的羅馬風格的安格魯諾曼建築還是非常壯美的。如果我們編寫一個“英國最美麗的教堂”名單,它肯定榜上有名。很多組織也都對此有同感,例如聯合國教科文組織在1986年就將它列為世界遺產。
  大教堂非常大,外表非常堅固漂亮,因為當初修建的目的雖然是禮敬上帝和存放聖卡斯伯特和諾森伯蘭部族的進攻,這些人對紀念前到來的諾曼人並不歡迎。
  教堂內部非常美觀。壯麗的中殿裡,最引人注目的是巨大堅實的立柱,上面雕刻著幾何圖案。特勒姆大教堂是歐洲第一座擁有石頭拱彎穹頂的教堂,這樣的拱彎支撐著沉重的石頂,使修建橫向的尖拱成為可能。這在整個英國都是首次出現,也是一項偉大的建築成就。
  第二集 林肯大教堂
  林肯大教堂(Lincoln cathedral)是羅曼式與哥特式建築,在1300年—1549年曾是世界最高的大樓。林肯大教堂也是英格蘭最大的教堂之一,其中很多現存的建築物可以追溯到十三、十四世紀。林肯博物館陳列了200年以來的歷史,大部分主要集中在農業方面。此外,還有很有名的Usher畫廊,收藏了很多繪畫作品,Tennyson的紀念作品,錢幣和手錶等等。
  林肯大教堂本身全部由磨岩的石塊砌成,由於年代的久遠,表面已呈黑色,更顯莊嚴古樸。進入教堂,中廳穹頂金碧輝煌令人目炫,堂內陳列的歷史文物和所有的金工、石工、木工都可謂巧天工。
  沒有了羅馬式厚重陰暗的半圓形拱門,在容入了大不列顛自己的民族風格之後,呈現在世人眼前的是輕快的線條和造型挺秀的小尖塔,輕盈通透的拱形壁,修長的立柱。特別是總面積達1萬多平方米的窗戶,全部裝上了色彩絢麗的鑲花玻璃,在陽光的映射下,五彩繽紛,華美異常。停步於其下給人造成一種向上昇華,直至天國的神秘幻覺。就連供信徒到此就座的長坐凳也全部都用極厚的巨木製成,經過千年的使用,露出發光的木紋。
  第三集 卡納芬城堡
  卡納芬是一個中世紀風情濃郁的城堡,中世紀時全城為高聳而堅實的城牆所包圍,巨型卡納芬城堡就位於城鎮的西部。卡納芬城堡是英國國王愛德華一世在原有諾曼人城堡基礎上改建成的威爾士最著名、最宏偉的城堡。英國的第一位威爾士親王就誕生在卡納芬城堡,現任英國王儲查理斯王子的母親也是在此為他舉行了“威爾士親王”的受封儀式。傳授愛德華一世征服威爾士後,因為威爾士親王已經在戰爭中被殺,所以勉強屈服的威爾士貴族想愛德華一世要求必須為他們安排一位出生在威爾士,並且不懂英語的人做親王,才能讓威爾士人完全臣服。此時恰逢隨軍遠征的王后在卡納芬生下了一位王子,但威爾士人還不知道此事,所以這位王子也就成為愛德華一世心目中的最佳親王人選,他就是後來的愛德華二世。20世紀在卡納芬城堡受封的王子共有兩位,一位是愛德華八世,一位是1969年受封的查理斯王子,當時的受封儀式通過電視轉播,共吸引了約5億觀眾收看。   如今褪去了戾氣的卡納芬城堡又成為威爾士風景秀美的最好注腳,與它周圍的護城河相互映襯。夕陽下,高大的蜜黃色身影倒映在水中反倒給人一種陰柔的顧影自憐的感覺。
第四集 牛津新學院
  赫特福德學院以東不遠就是如同堡壘一般的新學院。雖然叫做新學院,其實它建於1379年。學院創建者是一位溫徹斯特主教,所以在1854年前只接受來自溫徹斯特的學生。
  西元1348年的黑死病奪去許多人的生命,其中也包括許多教職人員,為了讓教育能延續不絕。為了補充教職人員的不足,溫徹斯特主教在牛津創立了新學院,培養傳道士和牧師。

Humanitarian Leadership Academy


培訓第一線救災者 全球首座學院倫敦登場

時間:2015-03-24 14:49 新聞引據:採訪、法新社 撰稿編輯:季 平


名為「人道主義領袖學院」(Humanitarian Leadership Academy)的培訓機構23日在英國倫敦成立,這所學院首開全球風氣之先,以訓練各國本地援助工作者和志工成為第一線救災人員為宗旨。

人道主義領袖學院計劃成立10座中心,對10萬名援助工作者、專業衛生人員和志工進行培訓,這些受訓人員將來自50個國家,特別是容易發生災難和衝突的國家。

挪威難民理事會(Norwegian Refugee Council)負責人、也是人道主義領袖學院理事會主席伊格蘭(Jan Egeland)表示,這項計畫將可促使人道主義領域全面改革,而投資於為最需要援助的地區培訓人道工作者,將為全球最脆弱社區帶來發展與永續性。

慈善組織「拯救兒童(Save the Children)」表示,需要更多援助工作者來處理「空前之多」的危機,其中包括有5,000萬人被迫逃離家園,這是第二次世界大戰以來最大數量的難民。

拯救兒童英國分會人道事務主任歐文(Gareth Owen)表示,接受培訓的各國本地人可以在災難發生後的關鍵頭幾天內,作出更迅速的反應。

人道主義領袖學院成立後的第一個5年需要5,000萬英鎊(約7,470萬美元)經費,目前已經獲得來自英國國際開發部(Department for International Development)的2,000萬英鎊資金。另外,挪威捐助50萬英鎊。

人道主義領袖學院將由拯救兒童組織主持運作,慈善組織--樂施會(Oxfam)、反飢餓行動(Action Against Hunger)和學術機構--英國公開大學(Open University)、曼徹斯特大學人道與衝突反應研究所(HCRI Manchester University)也都參與這項計畫。


World's first academy for humanitarian relief to be launched

Humanitarian Leadership Academy to train aid workers from over 50 countries in organising rapid responses to disasters and emergencies
Local residents receive humanitarian aid in the city of Debaltseve, Ukraine.
 Local residents receive humanitarian aid in the city of Debaltseve, Ukraine. The world’s first academy for humanitarian relief will train aid workers in responding to disasters and emergencies. Photograph: Sokolov Mikhail/Sokolov Mikhail/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis
The world’s first academy for humanitarian relief is to be launched, aimed at training 100,000 aid workers from over 50 countries in organising rapid responses to disasters and emergencies.
The Humanitarian Leadership Academy, launching on Monday, is a response to the growing number of humanitarian crises around the world, driven by climate change and conflict, combined with a severe and worsening shortage of people with the skills necessary to coordinate the large-scale response required in the critical first days to prevent mass casualties.
The HLA is being set up by a global consortium of aid organisations with initial £20m funding from the UK Department for International Development, out of a target of £50m. The Save the Children charity has paid the startup costing and is hosting the academy’s hub in London.

Jan Egeland, a former UN head of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, will be the academy’s first chairman. He said the initiative “may revolutionise the entire humanitarian sector”.Further centres will open in Kenya and thePhilippines later this year, and by 2020 the plan is to have ten training centres around the world, which would offer both classroom and virtual training for the surrounding regions, in mobilising the rapid response in resources and manpower needed in the wake of a disaster.
“Investment in a new and better trained generation of humanitarian workers closer to where we find the greatest needs will bring development and sustainability to many of the world’s most fragile communities,” Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said.
Last year witnessed a record number of severe global humanitarian emergencies and the highest number of refugees the world has seen since the second world war. 50 million people were forced to flee their countries.
Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children, said: “If we are to save more lives in some of the toughest places in the world we need to train and support local people themselves to become the humanitarian workers and volunteers of the future. The academy will do this by bringing together an extraordinary and unique coalition of actors to train and share best practice, transforming the humanitarian system.”
The idea behind the establishment of ten national and regional centres around the world is that each should be able to tailor responses to crises in terms of local conditions and local culture. Aid experts have said that previous attempts to increase local and regional capacity to react to large-scale emergencies have foundered because they were seen as impositions of practices developed far away.

“This is potentially one of the most transformational projects I have been involved in,” said Gareth Owen, Save the Children’s director of emergencies, who has been working on the academy project since 2007. “It is based on the recognition that many studies of humanitarian disasters and emergencies point to leadership and decision-making as the critical factor. Really by now we should have a global capacity that we can draw on that is far greater and more diverse. We haven’t invested enough in people on the ground.”The plan is for each centre to provide a common pool of knowledge, the latest technology and examples of best practice, as well as solid career structures for humanitarian workers, with internationally recognised certification for successive levels of achievement, recorded in ‘humanitarian passports’. The end result should be to expand the pool of people available in every region to manage the humanitarian response in the first 72 hours of an emergency.
Owen said that climate change was adding to the relentless annual toll of humanitarian crises: “We used to have a big natural disaster about once a decade and that has come down to one every two or three years.”
Global funding for emergency relief has largely stagnated. Owen said the $20bn (£13bn) spending on the response to humanitarian emergencies is a third of the amount the world spends on yoghurt, for example, and that there is no comparison with the $1.5tn spent on arms.
“The Humanitarian Leadership Academy will help create a faster and more effective disaster response system by empowering local people in the most vulnerable countries to be the first responders after a disaster strikes,” Justine Greening, the secretary of state for international development, said. “The high quality training and expertise delivered by this academy will mean humanitarian responses not only provide immediate, life-saving relief, but also help build a more secure and resilient world.”

2015年3月24日 星期二

沈平:我在倫敦住了九年社會住宅

【讀者投書】沈平:我在倫敦住了九年社會住宅

關鍵字: 
▲ 英國福利房有不同的建築類型,大部分是公寓樓,這是我家對面的比較大一點的福利房,大約有50多戶(本文圖片皆由作者提供)。
倫敦860萬人口當中有40%出生在英國以外的地方,44%是黑人或少數族裔,走在街頭可以聽到超過100種方言。而我住的政府福利房(council house)的20戶家庭,正是這個多元社會的縮影,晚飯時間鄰居們的廚房經常飄出不同國家的飯香。
世界很多發達國家都有由政府興建、廉價提供給低收入市民的措施,英國每個城市都有福利房,主要由區政府負責興建管理。如今福利房的住客主要有兩大類:一種是享受政府救濟金的租戶,一種是私人購買稱為「前福利房」(ex-council house)的單位,我是屬於後者。
2006年是我從香港移居倫敦的第三個年頭,開始準備置業定居下來,在挑選房子的時候發現,「前福利房」比同區同樣面積的私人公寓便宜10-20%。地產商解釋說部分原因是一些人一聽「福利房」就皺眉頭,不願意跟窮人一起住,而且「前福利房」升值潛力也比私人房子低。
也許是我初來乍到,還弄不清「福利房」和「前福利房」有什麼區別,加上為了省2萬多英鎊,於是買下了一個「前福利房」的單位,未曾想到卻為我瞭解不同階層的人提供了契機。

▲ 相較於私人樓宇,福利房的室內面積都比較寬敞實用。
新居入夥沒幾天,看到一位老伯在我門口的公共通道拖地,但他並不是清潔工人,而是我對門的鄰居—80歲的Billy。我問他:「您這是在幹嘛?」他說:「清潔工每週只來一次,而我最愛乾淨,所以自己動手,你看,我們這一層是不是特別清潔?電梯裏面的地也是我拖的喲!」
英國白人Billy二戰時是陸軍機槍手,義大利投降後駐紥威尼斯,在軍人餐廳邂逅當侍應的義大利少女Gemma,兩人一見鍾情,一年多後就情定終身,半句英語都不會說的Gemma隨丈夫毅然移居英國。
老兩口在這個單位已經住了20多年,我遇到他們的時候,兩人剛剛慶祝結婚60週年。
我上完夜班回家時,經常會在樓下遇到一位也剛下班回家的黑人小夥子,於是很自然聊了起來。Joe是來自西非國家加納的新移民,在快遞公司打工,雖然工作時間長,但是英國的工資水平讓老家的同鄉望塵莫及。
熱情的他有一天邀請我去他家品嘗加納美食,香辣羊肉被他不小心多放了幾把辣椒粉讓每個人都眼淚鼻涕滾滾而下。他的單位正在我樓下幾層,但是裏面被大業主分租給三戶人家,他跟另一位老鄉擠在其中一個房間。雖然居住條件並不怎樣,但他依然每天保持樂觀的笑容迎接新的生活。
在買了房子後我才開始查找有關福利房的資料。申請政府福利房的基本條件是:定居在英國;年滿18歲;家庭年收入不超過5萬英鎊;存款少於1萬6千鎊;住在同區至少2年(具體細節每個區都不同)。
由於福利房總是供不應求,因此所有符合資格的申請人都會被放在輪候名單,區政府使用打分系統評估申請人的優先順序。某些特殊情況的會被優先考慮,比如無家可歸或居無定所、傷殘人士、種族歧視或性侵犯受害者等。
這個「插隊」政策的原意是幫助那些急需有瓦遮頭(編按:沒有棲身之地)的弱勢群體,但也難免會被有心人士利用。一位想買房子的朋友去年12月就看好了一個私人興建的公寓,並且已經跟該公寓的業主談妥價格等事宜,然而一直拖了三、四個月都還未能成交,原因是該公寓現在的租客拒絕搬走,也不交租金。
一番調查之後發現,這名租客是單親母親,有兩個未成年孩子,因此懷疑她可能故意拖延,等業主發律師信把她一家強行趕走。如此一來,她就有優先權馬上獲得政府分派福利房。
那些幸運被分派到福利房的,首先會獲得12個月的租用合約(相當於試用期),除非有特殊情況,之後一般會獲得永久合約或者至少5年的合約,前者可以一直住到終老,後者需要更新。
福利房的租金大概只有同區私人房屋的三分之一到五分之一,比如一個一間臥室的公寓,福利房月租金大概450鎊,而私人住宅則要1250鎊。符合資格住福利房的人還可以申請住房津貼,以我住的Lewisham區為例,一個臥室的福利房每周能獲得196鎊津貼,足夠交納房租而且還有剩餘。
福利房的租戶還免交樓宇的維修費用,我住的大樓正在翻修屋頂,20個單位每戶需要攤分1萬7千英鎊,我們這些私人住戶要自掏腰包,而租戶則由政府買單。

▲ 我住的福利房目前正在翻修,每戶攤分1萬7千英鎊,我們這些私人住戶要自掏腰包,而租戶則由政府買單。
● 社會標籤
雖然住在福利房看似有很多經濟上的好處,但整體來說,住福利房被認為是一件不光彩的事情。在社會結構、公眾成見、媒體渲染等因素影響下,住在政府津貼房屋、領取救濟金的人往往被社會標籤化。
70%福利房的租戶是失業人士,屬於窮人,有些是單親家庭或者患有精神病,屬於弱勢群體。讓早已經被社會邊緣化的人群居在一起,則形成一種惡性循環,讓他們更難融入主流社會。
英國其中一部非常受歡迎的電視劇Little Britain裏有個十幾歲的單親媽媽,有6個孩子,來自6個不同的爸爸,這位年輕媽媽不但曠課而且經常去小偷小摸。雖然這是個虛擬角色,但靈感卻來自真實世界,通過大眾媒體進步強化了公眾的成見。
與此同時,也有一些租戶素質惡劣,把周圍環境弄得烏煙瘴氣,加上一些福利房當初建的時候就不是用最好的材料,年久失修下顯得破敗,尤其是1950-60年代風靡一時的「高樓式福利房」,更加成為了罪惡的溫床,連警察都不敢隨便單獨進去。
十年前一份針對兒童對福利房看法的研究發現,大部分的受訪孩子認為,購買房子自住才是一般人應該做的,那些住在福利房的租戶是社會的二等公民。孩子的世界觀其實也反應了不少大人的觀感。然而,家庭經濟狀況與福利房租戶的品格素質不一定存在因果關係。
一位男士在網上論壇質問道,他的父親在英國軍隊服役了15年,因傷成了瘸子而退役,靠政府救濟住在福利房,堅強的老人兩次戰勝癌症,為什麼只是因為住在福利房而收到歧視。我斜對門幾年前住了一位有3個孩子的單親母親,有一次我大意把大門鑰匙插在門上給忘了,她經過看到,立刻敲門提醒我。去年她搬走後新遷入的一家三口也非常友善,每每遇到郵差送包裹我不在家,都是他們代收,省卻我不少麻煩。
● 中產階級夢
柴契爾夫人1979年就任英國首相之後就大力推動民眾以遠低於市場價格的優惠價購買福利房(Right to Buy),口號是讓普通平民百姓擁有自己的家。用英國階級標籤來衡量,一旦買了房子就算是躋身「中產階層」,因此該計劃一推出便受到很多工薪階層的歡迎。
柴契爾以來的每一屆政府,無論是她的保守黨,後來的工黨,還是現在的保守黨-自民黨聯合政府,都繼續推動Right to Buy,並且一再提高優惠額度。如今租戶購買自己正在住的福利房最高可以享有70%折扣。
對於有能力購買福利房的家庭來說,Right to Buy這個計劃無疑讓他們夢想成真,可是對於生活在社會低層的窮人來說,卻是惡魔的開始。政府在變賣福利房的同時,並沒有興建相應數量的福利房填補空缺。
福利房一旦轉到私人手中後就可以自由在市場上按照市場價格買賣,這種單位被稱為「前福利房」,也就是我買的這種房子。我所在的大樓20戶當中有一半是像我這樣的私人自購住戶,餘下一半是享受政府補貼的福利房租戶,假如他們當中有人自己買下來,過幾年後又轉手出去,輪候福利房的貧困家庭就又少了一個機會。
從1980年迄今,全國一共賣出240萬套福利房,但是新建的福利房卻只有十分之一。以英格蘭來說,去年賣出一萬多套,新落成的只有一千多套。於是排隊等候福利房的隊伍越來越長,倫敦泰晤士河南岸的Southwark區政府計劃在2043年前興建一萬一千套福利房,可是此刻在輪候冊上的人就已經達到一萬一千,顯然永遠供不應求。
從某種程度來說,Right to Buy加劇了貧富差距,把弱勢群體進一步推向邊緣。蘇格蘭政府將在明年開始取消這個計劃,而威爾士政府也有可能採取同樣措施。
我的大樓外剛剛有地產商插了一塊寫著「Sold」的牌子,表示又有一個單位成交。一晃眼就在這裡住了9年,20戶人家幾乎換了一半。Billy很多年前去逝後,他的妻子Gemma被兒子接走,Joe也剛好在我不在英國的時候搬走。新搬進來的鄰居有些是自購、有些是政府補貼的租戶,他們講著西班牙語、阿拉伯語、阿爾巴尼亞語、越南語......

▲ 大樓下的區政府告示提供中文、法語、索馬里語、斯里蘭卡語、土耳其語、越南語、阿爾巴尼亞語等7個語言版本。
雖然政府的福利房計劃存在種種瑕疵,但我這棟混居式的福利房聚集了五湖四海的人,讓倫敦作為國際大都會的名聲更加實至名歸。
(作者定居英國11年,曾任BBC記者,劍橋大學碩士,現於倫敦大學國王學院攻讀博士)

2015年3月23日 星期一

Richard III: Farewell to a King 理查三世會喪命是因為少了一頂頭盔, Richard III dig: Buried in a Hurry


Canadian carpenter Michael Ibsen (L), a descendant of England's King Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, places a white rose on an oak coffin which he made containing the monarch's remains during a service held outside the University of Leicester in Leicester, central England, on March 22, 2015.
Some 530 years after he was killed in 1485, the last English monarch to die in battle will be laid to rest on Thursday in Leicester Cathedral, across the street from where his remains were found in 2012 under a municipal car park.
AFP Photo: Leon Neal
Full story: u.afp.com/9ka
“God save King Richard!” Thousands line the streets to farewell the king found buried in a parking lot. http://cnn.it/1Cfc1Wh

A cry rings out in the bright spring air as the simple oak coffin of Richard III is carried away from the tower block-filled campus of the University of Leicester for the final time.
CNN.COM|由 BRYONY JONES, CNN 上傳

一份新研究顯示,理查三世會喪命是因為少了一頂頭盔,而不是缺了一匹馬。

0929 richard III-1
理查三世頭骨的新分析發現,他死前頭上被捅了好幾刀。攝影:University of Leicester via Corbis
撰文:Roff Smith, National Geographic
編譯:魏靖儀
莎士比亞在他的作品《理查三世》中寫過:「馬!馬!我用我的王國交換一匹馬!」但一份新研究指出,英王理查三世(Richard III)之所以會死,不是因為缺一匹馬,而是缺了一頂頭盔。
針對理查三世的遺骸所進行的法醫研究顯示,這位命中帶劫的國王(英國最後一位戰死沙場的君王)於 1485 年死在波斯沃斯田的戰場上時,身上總共有 11 處創傷。其中有 9 處位於似乎沒受到任何保護的頭部,而根據英國 列斯特大學法醫科學家 Sarah Hainsworth 的說法,當中又有 2 處是「必死無疑」的。
這份研究利用全身的斷層掃描與微斷層造影技術,呈現出這位國王臨死前的慘烈時刻。當時他在一座沼澤裡跳下馬背,結果被至少三個、可能多達四個敵人圍攻,每個人都拿著戟、長劍和短刀。
「他受的傷顯示他遭受了連續攻擊,」Hainsworth 說。「頭骨上的傷口暗示他頭上沒戴頭盔 —– 至於是作戰時弄掉的還是最後他自己拿掉的,我們不得而知。他手掌和手臂上並沒有防禦性的傷口,暗示這些地方都還有鎧甲保護。」
關於那場戰爭的所有文獻一致記載,理查三世英勇作戰。法醫證據證實了這點。他確實很頑強。
最後一位戰死沙場的英國君王理查三世的骸骨去年在一座停車場底下被發現。攝影:University of Leicester via Corbis
最後一位戰死沙場的英國君王理查三世的骸骨2012年在一座停車場底下被發現。攝影:University of Leicester via Corbis
研究員注意到,他的顱骨上有幾處「削」傷,也就是有幾塊骨頭被某種帶有鋸齒的武器給削掉了,此外還有一處刺穿顱骨、直達大腦的穿刺傷。「那鐵定會痛,但他沒死,」Hainsworth 說。
另一處靠近顱骨右下方的穿刺傷刺進了他的腦部幾公分,最終是一定致命的。但一舉奪命的卻是更深、更狠的另外一擊,有人用戟(halberd)從他顱骨的左下方刺入大腦 —– 有 10 公分深。
「這應該就是最後一擊了。他幾乎是立刻失去意識,」Hainsworth 說。「呼吸和心跳會在一陣子之後停止。他不會是立刻斃命。中世紀的戰場沒有立刻死亡這種事。忘了那些電影情節吧 —– 在中世紀的戰場上,死亡一點也不乾脆、不浪漫。」
研究者也在這位殞落國王的骨盆一帶發現了另一處可能致命的重大創傷,但他們認為這是死後所為 —– 目的在於羞辱。
有人用劍刺穿了理查三世的骨盆。攝影:University of Leices via Corbis
有人用劍刺穿了理查三世的骨盆。攝影:University of Leices via Corbis
「他若在活著的時候受了這個傷,定會流血而死,是在 20 分鐘內還是兩小時內我們很難說,但他穩死無疑,」Hainsworth 說。「但由於穿刺的角度古怪,他不太可能是作戰的時候被刺的,因為那個部位有鎧甲保護。」
根據記載,這場戰役結束後,理查三世的遺體被橫掛在馬背上,接著用拖車運走,由僧侶葬在附近一座教堂。
「如果有人想藉著最後這一刀來侮辱這位殞落的國王,遺體掛在馬背上的時候就是下手的最佳時機,因為姿勢剛剛好,」Hainsworth 說。「事實似乎就是這樣。」
理查三世雖是正統的英格蘭國王,也是約克家族的最後一位國王,但他的葬禮卻相當不風光,而且幾百年來墳墓位置都無人知曉 —– 直到 2012 年在列斯特(Leicester)的一座停車場底下被考古學家發現。
DNA 證據證實了這具骸骨確實屬於這位著名的國王。過去兩年來,他遺骨的法醫分析為這位中世紀英國國王的生活與時代背景提供了不少有趣的資訊。

May 23, 2013

New Study Finds That King Richard III Was Buried in a Hurry



New archaeological analysis shows that King Richard’s remains were buried in an awkward position, leaning against the wall of a grave that wasn’t dug large enough. Image via University of Leicester

Last September, a team of archaeologists in the UK made a remarkable find: under a city council parking lot in Leicester, they found the remains of King Richard III. The king ruled England for just two years (from 1483 until 1485) before his violent war-time death.
In February, after comparing DNA taken from the skeleton to surviving descendants of the king and testing its age, the group officially confirmed the identity of the body. Since then, forensic analysis indicated that the king was killed by traumatic sword blows to the head—perhaps with enough force to drive his crown into his skull.

Now, the first academic paper to be published on the discovery provides more unnerving details on the circumstances of Richard III’s death. In a study to be published tomorrow in the journal Antiquity, the University of Leicester team writes that the king’s body looks like it was buried in a hurry, crammed into a hastily-prepared grave that was too small for him. Further, he was left in a strange, slightly folded position, perhaps even with its hands tied together.

Instead of a carefully-dug grave with straight walls, as was customary during the era, Richard III’s has sloping walls, with a larger size at the surface than at the bottom, as the team determined by comparing the layered patterns in the dirt abutting the grave with the unordered soil filling it and surrounding the king’s remains.


What’s more, the king’s head was left leaning against one corner of the grave, indicating that a gravedigger stood in the hole to receive his body and didn’t bother rearranging him at the center after putting him down on the ground, and there’s no evidence that a coffin or even a death shroud was used. Given the historical context of Richard III’s death, none of this is a huge surprise, although the apparent lack of care surrounding the burial of this king might exceed even what historians had previously expected.

A facial reconstruction of King Richard III based on his skull and other forensic details. Image via Leicester Arts & Museums

Richard III was killed at age 32 during the Battle of Bosworth Field, close to the end of the infamously violent War of the Roses period—a 30-plus year battle for power between supporters of competing branches of the royal family for control of the throne. After he was defeated and killed in battle by the forces of rival Henry Tudor (who would become King Henry VII), the new king reportedly kept the burial location intentionally secret—he feared it would otherwise become a rallying location for his enemies—and knowledge of Richard III’s grave was lost over time.

Now we know that Richard III’s body was brought to the nearby city of Leicester, passed along to Franciscan friars and buried at what was then Grey Friars church “without any pomp or solemn funeral,” according to the contemporary historian Polydore Vergil. (Legend holds that his body was stripped naked, transported on the back of a horse and mocked by passers-by during the entire journey.) Eventually, the church was dismantled, and the site was paved over.

Apart from analyzing the unusual characteristics of the king’s grave, the new paper also provides the first peer-reviewed forensic details about his remains. As the archaeologists had previously mentioned in public statements, the body matches the physical details of Richard III as described in historical sources: a curved spine, due to childhood scoliosis, and slim features. In addition to the fierce blows to his head, there were a total of 10 wounds discovered on his body, including stabs in his buttocks and back that the researchers believe were probably made after he’d already been killed, because of their location and the fact that they couldn’t have been made while he was still wearing armor.
So, did Richard III die in violent humiliation? The new findings seem to support this idea. At the very least, he was buried in a manner that certainly didn’t befit a king. But now, a number of groups and localities are suddenly interested in giving him a proper burial. The cities of Leicester and York are dueling over the right to preserve his remains and attract the tourists that will flock to see the king who was buried in a parking lot. We can only hope this new battle doesn’t last for another 30 years.



Richard III dig: DNA confirms bones are king's

 2013.2.4
The skeleton is 'beyond reasonable doubt' the remains of Richard III
A skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park has been confirmed as that of English king Richard III.
Experts from the University of Leicester said DNA from the bones matched that of descendants of the monarch's family.
Lead archaeologist Richard Buckley, from the University of Leicester, told a press conference to applause: "Beyond reasonable doubt it's Richard."
Richard, killed in battle in 1485, will be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral.

Richard III graphic
Mr Buckley said the bones had been subjected to "rigorous academic study" and had been carbon dated to a period from 1455-1540.
Dr Jo Appleby, an osteo-archaeologist from the university's School of Archaeology and Ancient History, revealed the bones were of a man in his late 20s or early 30s. Richard was 32 when he died.
His skeleton had suffered 10 injuries, including eight to the skull, at around the time of death. Two of the skull wounds were potentially fatal.
One was a "slice" removing a flap of bone, the other was caused by bladed weapon which went through and hit the opposite side of the skull - a depth of more than 10cm (4ins).
'Humiliation injuries'
Dr Appleby said: "Both of these injuries would have caused an almost instant loss of consciousness and death would have followed quickly afterwards.

Who was Richard III?

The earliest surviving portrait of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral
  • Richard was born at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire, where Mary Queen of Scots was later executed
  • As Duke of Gloucester, Richard took a rampant white boar as his sign
  • His coronation took place in Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony very similar to HM the Queen's
  • Richard had one of the shortest reigns in English history - 26 months
  • He was the last English king to die in battle, killed by the forces of the future Henry VII
Source: BBC History
"In the case of the larger wound, if the blade had penetrated 7cm into the brain, which we cannot determine from the bones, death would have been instantaneous."
Other wounds included slashes or stabs to the face and the side of the head. There was also evidence of "humiliation" injuries, including a pelvic wound likely to have been caused by an upward thrust of a weapon, through the buttock.
Richard III was portrayed as deformed by some Tudor historians and indeed the skeleton's spine is badly curved, a condition known as scoliosis.
However, there was no trace of a withered arm or other abnormalities described in the more extreme characterisations of the king.
Missing princes
Without the scoliosis, which experts believe developed during teenage years, he would have been about 5ft 8ins (1.7m) tall, but the curvature would have made him appear "considerably" shorter.
Dr Appleby said: "The analysis of the skeleton proved that it was an adult male but was an unusually slender, almost feminine, build for a man.
"Taken as a whole, the skeletal evidence provides a highly convincing case for identification as Richard III."
Richard was a royal prince until the death of his brother Edward IV in 1483. Appointed as protector of his nephew, Edward V, Richard instead assumed the reins of power.
Edward and his brother Richard, known as the Princes in the Tower, disappeared soon after. Rumours circulated they had been murdered on the orders of their uncle.
Challenged by Henry Tudor, Richard was killed at Bosworth in 1485 after only two years on the throne.
DNA trail
He was given a hurried burial beneath the church of Greyfriars in the centre of Leicester.
Mr Buckley said the grave was clumsily cut, with sloping sides and too short for the body, forcing the head forward.

University of Leicester findings

Richard III's skull
• Wealth of evidence, including radiocarbon dating, radiological evidence, DNA and bone analysis and archaeological results, confirms identity of last Plantagenet king who died over 500 years ago
• DNA from skeleton matches two of Richard III's maternal line relatives. Leicester genealogist verifies living relatives of Richard III's family
• Individual likely to have been killed by one of two fatal injuries to the skull - one possibly from a sword and one possibly from a halberd
• Ten wounds discovered on skeleton - Richard III killed by trauma to the back of the head. Part of the skull sliced off
• Radiocarbon dating reveals individual had a high protein diet - including significant amounts of seafood - meaning he was likely to be of high status
• Radiocarbon dating reveals individual died in the second half of the 15th or in the early 16th Century - consistent with Richard's death in 1485
• Skeleton reveals severe scoliosis - onset believed to have occurred at the time of puberty
• Although about 5ft 8in tall (1.7m), the condition meant King Richard III would have stood significantly shorter and his right shoulder may have been higher than the left
• Feet were truncated at an unknown point in the past, but a significant time after the burial
"There was no evidence of a coffin or shroud which would have left the bones in a more compact position.
"Unusually, the arms are crossed and this could be an indication the body was buried with the wrists still tied," he added.
Greyfriars church was demolished during the Reformation in the 16th Century and over the following centuries its exact location was forgotten.
However, a team of enthusiasts and historians managed to trace the likely area - and, crucially, after painstaking genealogical research, they found a 17th-generation descendant of Richard's sister with whose DNA they could compare any remains.
Joy Ibsen, from Canada, died several years ago but her son, Michael, who now works in London, provided a sample.
The researchers were fortunate as, while the DNA they were looking for was in all Joy Ibsen's offspring, it is only handed down through the female line and her only daughter has no children. The line was about to stop.
Tomb plans
But the University of Leicester's experts had other problems.
Dr Turi King, project geneticist, said there had been concern DNA in the bones would be too degraded: "The question was could we get a sample of DNA to work with, and I am extremely pleased to tell you that we could."
She added: "There is a DNA match between the maternal DNA of the descendants of the family of Richard III and the skeletal remains we found at the Greyfriars dig.
"In short, the DNA evidence points to these being the remains of Richard III."
In August 2012, an excavation began in a city council car park - the only open space remaining in the likely area - which quickly identified buildings connected to the church.
Laurence Olivier as Richard III in the Shakespeare play of the same nameRichard's villainous reputation owes much to the way he was characterised by Shakespeare
The bones were found in the first days of the dig and were eventually excavated under forensic conditions.
Details of the reburial ceremony have yet to be released, but Philippa Langley from the Richard III Society said plans for a tomb were well advanced.
She said of the discovery of Richard's skeleton: "I'm totally thrilled, I'm overwhelmed to be honest, it's been a long hard journey. I mean today as we stand it's been nearly four years.
"It's the culmination of a lot of hard work. I think, as someone said to me earlier, it's just the end of the beginning.
"We're going to completely reassess Richard III, we're going to completely look at all the sources again, and hopefully there's going to be a new beginning for Richard as well."

Richard III 遺骸重現 或無補於對於文學文本的了解與欣賞
請讀


Richard III (play)

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed ...
 1956年的劇本要點等

Richard III – a career in clips

The Guardian-4 hours agoShare
To mark the discovery of Richard III's skeleton under a car park in Leicester, we've put together some clips of the monarch's most memorable ...
Laurence Olivier's 1955 Shakespeare adaptation remains the dominant source for our assumptions of all things Richard III. Dressed in black, scowly as hell, and with that creepy, reedy intonation, Olivier's interpretation defined Richard as evil Crookback, of whom we should be grateful to Henry Tudor that we are rid. Perversely, punk rocker John Lydon cited him as a major influence, and clips from the film pop up in Julien Temple's Filth and the Fury doco. (Look for him at 1:45 in this clip.)





改編的電影
Richard Loncraine's 1995 film, starring Ian McKellen, is set in a fictional fascist England in the 1930s, and based on an earlier highly successful stage production. Only about half the text of the play is used. The first part of his Now is the winter of our discontent... soliloquy is a public speech, while the second part is a private monologue. The famous final line of Richard's A horse, my kingdom for a horse is spoken when his jeep becomes trapped in debris.

理查三世 遺骸重現於世

莎士比亞筆下的著名暴君理查三世,屍骨500年後出土。 (路透)
莎 士比亞筆下的著名暴君理查三世,遺骸不知去向的500年後,最近終於重現於世。列斯特大學(University of Leicester)研究人員在列斯特市一處停車場挖出的頭顱與骸骨,4日證實為這位金雀花王朝最後一位英格蘭國王所有。研究人員將這具骸骨與理查三世妹 妹後代的DNA比對吻合;這具骸骨的傷口,也與1485年死在戰場上的理查三世傷勢相符。據稱,理查三世當年是在英格蘭中部的博斯沃思原野戰役 (Battle of Bosworth Field)中,與他的最後繼承人亨利都鐸(Henry Tudor)作戰時喪命。理查三世的遺體將重新葬於列斯特大教堂。(路透)