Theme:
1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
The Archaeology of Mass Graves: New Approaches
Content:
Many war dead and victims of persecution, across Europe and beyond, lie in unmarked graves—deliberately concealed or forgotten over time. In 'recent' cases, archaeological evidence is used to prosecute criminals, ensure dignified burials for the deceased, and provide answers for family members. In 'historic' cases, analysis can provide unique insights into the identities of the deceased, the trajectories of particular diseases, the movement of peoples, previously unknown battles, the make-up of armed forces, etc. This session will probe how new technologies, applications, or increased accessibility of such technologies (e.g. LIDAR, Satellite imagery analysis, smartphone video/photo analysis, data mining, ground penetrating radar, DNA analysis, isotope analysis, etc.) are improving the search efficiency for unmarked mass graves, easing access into difficult terrains, as well as providing new insights into the origins, movement, diet and disease of the interred individuals. As these technologies improve, at times they are able to be applied to assemblages excavated long ago or cold-cases to yield new results. As this field and its applied technologies develop, questions surrounding ethics, operating procedures, and the need for transparency continue to remain at the fore. Inattention to these details can result in miscarriages of justice as well as the political abuse of the results. Hence, this session seeks papers addressing the use of new technologies in the location, excavation, and interpretation of mass graves as well as reflections on the ethical implications of such uses.
Keywords:
Forensic Archaeology, Remote Sensing, Bioarcheology, Data Archaeology, Ethics
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Miriam Saqqa-Carazo (Spain) 1
Co-organisers:
Britt Baillie (Denmark) 2
Layla Renshaw (United Kingdom) 3
Caroline Sturdy Colls (United Kingdom) 4
Hannes Schroeder (Denmark) 5
Affiliations:
1. Universidad Complutense de Madrid
2. Roskilde Viking Ship Museum
3. Kingston University
4. Staffordshire University
5. University of Copenhagen
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT