Old Bones.

I read in the Times that old bones have been found! I have never really understood why bones matter. My view of life is that once you have died, if your bones lie in the ground then they are part of the great scheme of things and not to be disturbed. They have, sort of, gone back to whence they came. But it appears that bones are an important part of history.
The year is AD 937 - King Athelstan has just become the first "official" King of England after winning the battle of Brunanburgh (are you still with me?). In order, I guess, to consolidate his position, he sends his two sisters - Eadgyth and Adiva - to Germany, to the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I and suggests that Otto choose one as a mate. Otto chooses Eadgyth and she lived with him in Saxony, as queen, until she died, aged 38.
Now archaeologists have discovered bones in a tomb which they think might belong to Eadgyth and have returned them to the University of Bristol for analysis.
It seems to have been a successful marriage - they had two children -Liudolf and Liutgarde and Eadgyth seems to have been responsible for introducing the cult of St Oswald to Saxony.
If you are wondering what happened to poor Adiva, who was not chosen by Otto - well she was married off to some unknown European ruler and disappeared - no bones found here.
If you wish to know more then try the University of Bristol web site - the bones I believe were on show yesterday at "Princess Eadgyth and her World".
In all this my uppermost thought is that it might have made for a better life (more food, clothes etc) to be royalty in Saxon times, but by golly you were likely to be sold off if you happened to be a woman. And if royalty died at 38 in those days, I wonder what the average age of death was here in Saxon times? Have a nice day.