Philosophy
Historians and archaeologists plan to reveal the true face of the author of Don Quixote of La Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes, as they embark on a quest to find the lost bones of one of western literature's key writers.
The project to seek Cervantes' bones, which lie buried somewhere in the walls or floors of a convent in central Madrid, would allow forensic archaeologists to reconstruct the face of a man only known from a picture painted by artist Juan de Jauregui some 20 years after his death.
The bones may also reveal whether Cervantes, who is believed to have died of cirrhosis and was accused by rivals of being a notorious tippler, drank himself into the grave. "They may not just help us to discover what he looked like, but also why he died," said historian Fernando Prado.
"It is said that he was very ill late in life, but that is also when he was very productive as an author."
Prado's team have won the support of local authorities and Madrid's archbishopric to hunt for the remains of the creator of the would-be knight-errant Don Quixote, who famously tilted at windmills, and of his sidekick, Sancho Panza.
Experts said his bones should be easy to identify as they would bear the marks of wounds suffered during the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571.
Cervantes received wounds to his chest and arms during a battle which saw a Spanish-led fleet defeat their Ottoman enemies in the Gulf of Patras off western Greece.
"He received a blast from a harquebus in the chest and another wound that left him unable to use one hand," Prado said. "Those two things will have left some imprint on his bones."
Cervantes was buried in the convent after dying at his home nearby in 1616. His death came just 10 days before that of Shakespeare [see footnote].
Cervantes' bones went missing in 1673 when building work was done at the convent. They are known to have been taken to a different convent and were returned later.
What nobody knows, however, is exactly where within the convent complex they are to be found.
Those planning to search for his bones say they will use geo-radar technology to search for hidden niches in the convent's walls and to scan up to five metres below ground.
Prado hopes the work can be carried out by 2016, when there are plans for a joint global celebration to mark the anniversaries of the death of Cervantes and Shakespeare.
• This footnote was appended on 26 July 2011. To clarify: Cervantes and Shakespeare both died on 23 April 1616. However, Spain was using the Gregorian calendar at that time, and England the Julian. They are 10 days apart.
Miguel de Cervantes [Wikipedia]
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Philosophy
Where is Miguel de Cervantes?
"Madrid begins search for bones of Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes"
Historians and archaeologists hunt for writer's remains in city centre convent with approval from Madrid's archbishopric
by
Giles Tremlett
July 25th, 2011
guardian.co.uk
Historians and archaeologists hunt for writer's remains in city centre convent with approval from Madrid's archbishopric
by
Giles Tremlett
July 25th, 2011
guardian.co.uk
Historians and archaeologists plan to reveal the true face of the author of Don Quixote of La Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes, as they embark on a quest to find the lost bones of one of western literature's key writers.
The project to seek Cervantes' bones, which lie buried somewhere in the walls or floors of a convent in central Madrid, would allow forensic archaeologists to reconstruct the face of a man only known from a picture painted by artist Juan de Jauregui some 20 years after his death.
The bones may also reveal whether Cervantes, who is believed to have died of cirrhosis and was accused by rivals of being a notorious tippler, drank himself into the grave. "They may not just help us to discover what he looked like, but also why he died," said historian Fernando Prado.
"It is said that he was very ill late in life, but that is also when he was very productive as an author."
Prado's team have won the support of local authorities and Madrid's archbishopric to hunt for the remains of the creator of the would-be knight-errant Don Quixote, who famously tilted at windmills, and of his sidekick, Sancho Panza.
Experts said his bones should be easy to identify as they would bear the marks of wounds suffered during the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571.
Cervantes received wounds to his chest and arms during a battle which saw a Spanish-led fleet defeat their Ottoman enemies in the Gulf of Patras off western Greece.
"He received a blast from a harquebus in the chest and another wound that left him unable to use one hand," Prado said. "Those two things will have left some imprint on his bones."
Cervantes was buried in the convent after dying at his home nearby in 1616. His death came just 10 days before that of Shakespeare [see footnote].
Cervantes' bones went missing in 1673 when building work was done at the convent. They are known to have been taken to a different convent and were returned later.
What nobody knows, however, is exactly where within the convent complex they are to be found.
Those planning to search for his bones say they will use geo-radar technology to search for hidden niches in the convent's walls and to scan up to five metres below ground.
Prado hopes the work can be carried out by 2016, when there are plans for a joint global celebration to mark the anniversaries of the death of Cervantes and Shakespeare.
• This footnote was appended on 26 July 2011. To clarify: Cervantes and Shakespeare both died on 23 April 1616. However, Spain was using the Gregorian calendar at that time, and England the Julian. They are 10 days apart.
Miguel de Cervantes [Wikipedia]
The Literature Network
- Bullshit Or Not: Cervantes Edition
There's an old sketch film called Amazon Women on the Moon and one of the bits is a parody of the old Leonard Nimoy show, "In Search Of..." called, "Bullshit or Not?" with the tagline "Bullshit or not? You decide." It's a line I like so much that...
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"'Biggest dinosaur ever' discovered" by James Morgan May 16th, 2014 BBC News Based on its huge thigh bones, it was 40m (130ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall. Weighing in at 77 tonnes, it was as heavy as 14 African elephants, and seven tonnes heavier...
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Rev. William R. Callahan September 5th, 1931 to July 5th, 2010 "Rev. William R. Callahan Dies at 78, Dissident Who Challenged Vatican" by Douglas Martin July 9th, 2010 The New York Times The Rev. William R. Callahan, a Roman Catholic priest and self-described...
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"Cumulating converging evidence" [a statistical probability feature] is providing reasonable proof for the validation of a lost Shakesperean play Cardenio [The History of Cardenio]. "Lost Shakespeare Play: Found?" An academic claims that an 18th century...
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This is kind of creepy. "Is the Mona Lisa a Self-Portrait?" by Lisa Zyga January 25th, 2010 PhysOrg.com “If we manage to find his skull, we could rebuild Leonardo’s face and compare it with the Mona Lisa,” said anthropologist Giorgio Gruppioni,...