Exhibition tells the story of 17th Century Scottish soldiers

The story of the Seventeenth Century Scottish soldiers , whose remains were discovered in two mass burial sites in Durham City in 2013, is the subject of a major new exhibition at Durham University's Palace Green Library. Multidisciplinary research The exhibition, entitled Bodies of Evidence: How Science Unearthed Durham's Dark Secret , shows how a multi-disciplinary team led by the University's world renowned Department of Archaeology used a range of scientific and documentary research to identify the remains as those of the Scottish soldiers, who were captured at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. The exhibition explains how archaeologists used detailed scientific analysis of the remains , alongside study of historical documents from the period to establish details about the soldiers' lives including where they were born, what their health and diets were like and why they died. Professor Chris Gerrard , of Durham University's Department of Archaeology, who has led the research into the remains, said; "The remains of up to 28 individuals were excavated in 2013. "It was the start of many months of research which led us to identify them as Scottish soldiers who were captured by Oliver Cromwell's army after the Battle of Dunbar and imprisoned in Durham Cathedral at a time when it was not used for worship. "The discovery of the remains, and the research into them, has put an end to almost 400 years of mystery surrounding what became of those soldiers who died here in Durham." Facial reconstruction Visitors to the exhibition will also have the chance to view a 3D model of a computer-generated facial reconstruction of one of the soldiers.