A centuries-old rumor that William Shakespeare's skull was stolen from his grave might well be true, according to a radar scan of the unmarked grave believed to contain The Bard's remains.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and archaeologists Kevin Colls and geophysicist Erica Utsi led the project to scan the grave without having to disturb it,
The Independent reports.
Shakespeare was believed to be buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon when he died in 1616. Though the grave is not marked, graves of his family members, including his wife, Anne Hathaway, are nearby.
A scan of the grave showed evidence of a "mysterious and significant repair," Colls told the newspaper. "The scan suggests something going on around the head. It led us to suggest that the area has been disturbed."
A story published in Argosy magazine in 1879 implied trophy hunters had dug up the grave and stolen the skull.
Researchers are confident the rest of the remains are intact, but the data "suggests the skull is still missing and is out there somewhere. There’s no documentary trail we’ve identified of where it might be," Colls said. "We will keep looking."
But researchers did debunk a part of the rumor that claimed Shakespeare's skull is now in a church 20 miles away. The group's work found that skull to have belonged to a 77-year-old woman, meaning the whereabouts of the great playwright's skull is not known.
A special on the case is set to air on British television on Saturday.
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