It seems like England’s Richard III may have gotten a burial not-quite fit for a king.
Archaeologists believe the king, who was killed in battle in 1485, could be resting under a parking lot in Leicester, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A team from the University of Leicester began excavation work on Saturday.
The archaeologists believe the car lot was once the site of a Franciscan friary known as the Grey friars, who cared for Richard III’s remains after he was killed during the Battle of Bosworth, a battle in the English civil war known as the War of the Roses.
“The big question for us is determining the whereabouts of the church on the site and also where in the church the body was buried,” Richard Buckley, of the University of Leicester, told the LA Times.
The university is working with the Richard III Society and Leicester City Council to hunt for the monarch’s bones.
Diggers will use ground-penetrating radar to determine the best spots to break ground in the city council offices lot.
“This archaeological work offers a golden opportunity to learn more about medieval Leicester as well as about Richard III’s last resting place,” Philippa Langley, a member of the Richard III Society, said in a statement. “And, if he is found, to re-inter his remains with proper solemnity in Leicester Cathedral.”
Any remains that are found will be subject to DNA testing, to confirm that they belong to the fallen ruler, who was immortalized in William Shakespeare’s play, “Richard III.”
