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Was He Murdered Or Was He Not?—Part I: Analyses of Mercury in the Remains of T ycho B rahe
Author(s) -
Rasmussen K. L.,
Kučera J.,
Skytte L.,
Kameník J.,
Havránek V.,
Smolík J.,
Velemínský P.,
Lynnerup N.,
Bruzek J.,
Vellev J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2012.00729.x
Subject(s) - astronomer , mercury (programming language) , medicine , art , art history , computer science , programming language
World‐renowned R enaissance astronomer T ycho B rahe died on 24 O ctober 1601, after 11 days of illness. Several conspiracy theories regarding his death have been aired, the first shortly after his death by W illiam S hakespeare in the play H amlet , published in 1603. A key factor in the still lively debate is whether he was administered mercury—as medicine by his own hand, or as poison by an unfriendly hand. In 2010, B rahe's grave was reopened and samples of his bones, hair, teeth and the textiles were procured and analysed. Here, we present evidence that B rahe was not administered lethal doses of mercury.