The archaeology of contemporary mass graves

A controlled method for the identification of forensic traces from clandestine grave fill

Deceased human remains are often buried as a forensic countermeasure or method of disposal by homicide perpetrators. Owing to this, the excavation of clandestine grave sites is a task that forensic crime scene teams may only encounter a few times a year. Not all crime scene units have specialised teams for this task, and even those that do, may not have specific protocols for the optimal recovery of forensic traces retained within grave fill as procedures such as sieving require optimisation for the specific soil conditions of the jurisdiction. This study aimed to define the optimal sieving conditions for a sandy environment when searching for minute traces of paint, glass, hair and fibres. Furthermore, this study justifies the practice of retaining grave fill and examining it under controlled laboratory conditions, rather than in-situ adjacent to the grave site. The results demonstrate that using sieve mesh sizes as fine as 0.1 mm can recover up to 82% of the deposited traces and almost all paint, hair and glass traces. The processing of grave fill in the laboratory lead to increased yield of forensic evidence, which on a case-basis may warrant the increased time needed. These findings merit consideration for clandestine grave crime scenes where evidence is scarce or the case is likely to become cold.

Detecting grave sites from surface anomalies: A longitudinal study in an Australian woodland

Forensic investigations of single and mass graves often use surface anomalies, including changes to soil and vegetation conditions, to identify potential grave locations. Though numerous resources describe surface anomalies in grave detection, few studies formally investigate the rate at which the surface anomalies return to a natural state; hence, the period the grave is detectable to observers. Understanding these processes can provide guidance as to when ground searches will be an effective strategy for locating graves. We studied three experimental graves and control plots in woodland at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (Sydney, Australia) to monitor the rate at which surface anomalies change following disturbance. After three years, vegetation cover on all grave sites and control plots had steadily increased but remained substantially less than undisturbed surroundings. Soil anomalies (depressions and cracking) were more pronounced at larger grave sites versus the smaller grave and controls, with leaf litterfall rendering smaller graves difficult to detect beyond 20 months. Similar results were observed in two concurrent burial studies, except where accelerated revegetation appeared to be influenced by mummified remains. Extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall may prolong the detection window for grave sites by hindering vegetation establishment. Observation of grave-indicator vegetation, which exhibited abnormally strong growth 10 months after commencement, suggests that different surface anomalies may have different detection windows. Our findings are environment-specific, but the concepts are applicable globally.

Could a "body fragmentation index" be useful in reconstructing events prior to burial: Case studies of selected primary and secondary mass graves from eastern Bosnia

This study analyses variable levels of body fragmentation among secondary mass grave sites with similar formation process history. The study is based on data from 10 commingled secondary mass grave sites and two primary sites related to the war in Bosnia in 1995. The aim was to investigate differences in level of body fragmentation between mass graves of similar origin and taphonomy. In order to quantify the degree of fragmentation (and level of commingling) within a grave, we introduced a fragmentation index (FI). FI represents the ratio between the number of complete bodies and number of body parts from the same context. Results show high discrepancies in body fragmentations between different sites. FI for secondary sites of similar formation history varied from 0.01 to 0.59 (max = 1), while two primary sites have values 0.92 and 0.90 respectively. Variable levels of fragmentation among similar secondary sites suggest a possibility of different peri mortem circumstances of buried, so we tested whether the "body fragmentation index" could assist in elucidating the manner of death. Unusually high levels of body fragmentation (FI value below 0.1) in some secondary sites may indicate that body disarticulation was most likely caused peri-mortem by explosives, land mines, mortars or tank fire, all suggesting a combat situation.

A First World War example of forensic archaeology

Between 1919 and 1921, the First World War battlefields of France and Belgium were searched by the British Army for the single graves and small cemeteries containing the bodies of British and Commonwealth soldiers. This process was called "concentration". When found, these graves were exhumed, the bodies within were examined to try and establish or confirm identification, and were subsequently reburied in newly built. Imperial War Grave Commission cemeteries. This task was carried out by military staff working for the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries. They had no forensic or medical experience and yet in less than three years they moved hundreds of thousands of graves, on a scale never seen before or since. Written records were issued for the soldiers working on exhumation in 1919 giving detailed instructions on how to search for buried or unburied individuals, the method to follow for excavating these graves and directions for the examination of bodies. These instructions are very similar to those used in modern forensic archaeology when excavating single or mass graves, or when dealing with multiple bodies following mass disasters. They show an awareness of the effects of human burials on the surrounding environment and address search and excavation problems that are still experienced. The example given here in France and Belgium is one of the earliest examples of Forensic Archaeology for humanitarian purposes, and the instructions issued are probably the earliest written instructions for a Forensic Archaeological excavation.

Challenges associated with investigating a mass grave at the Korićani cliffs in central Bosnia

More than 200 men were killed at the Korićani Cliffs on Mount Vlašić in central Bosnia during the Bosnian war. The location of this mass grave remained unknown for a long time following the war, until 2008, when the Missing Persons Institute discovered a site containing the remains of approximately 60 individuals. Later, in September 2017, a new mass grave was identified at this location that had not been robbed and skeletal remains remained close to the location where the victims had died. This grave was also unique, by definition, as it was a primary inhumation site, but with a high degree of commingling and disarticulation, typical of secondary inhumation locations. The exhumation team found the first remains in this grave approximately one and a half meters beneath the rocks, while the extent of the commingling resulted in necessary modifications to standardized exhumation protocols. The search and recovery process primarily focused on skulls, groups of bones that remained in clothing, and any bones that were still connected to each other. In total, 86 skulls, 137 groups of bones that had at least 2 bones connected, and a couple of hundred small bones that could not be appointed to individuals, were retrieved. The material was taken to the Šejkovaca Identification Centre where the team took over 1,300 DNA samples for analysis and are now awaiting the results.

Exploring non-invasive approaches to assist in the detection of clandestine human burials: developing a way forward

The analyses of physical evidence recovered from clandestine single and mass graves have been demonstrated to be of significant evidential and/or investigative value for both court purposes and humanitarian investigations. The detection of these types of graves is, therefore, pivotal to forensic investigations. This article reviews different remote and ground-based methods that have been used to attempt to detect deliberately concealed burial sites and summarizes the experimental research that has, to date, been undertaken in order to improve grave detection. The article then presents the preliminary findings of research being undertaken at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER). This research, the first of its kind to be undertaken in the southern hemisphere, is based on experimental single and mass graves using human cadavers. The research is centred on current remote sensing methods and techniques combined with the analysis of the effects of below-ground temperature and moisture and ground-based weather data. It is hoped that identifying successful sensors and detectors will be beneficial to national and international agencies that are involved in forensic as well as humanitarian investigations that require the detection of deliberately concealed gravesites.

Archaeologies of the Contemporary World

Archaeologists have long been interested in contemporary material culture, but only recently has a dedicated subfield of archaeology of the contemporary world begun to emerge. Although it is concerned mainly with the archaeology of the early to mid-twentieth and twenty-first centuries, in its explicit acknowledgment of the contemporary archaeological record as multi-temporal, the subfield is not defined by a focus on a specific time period so much as a particular disposition toward time, material things, the archaeological process, and its politics. This article considers how the subfield might be characterized by its approaches to particular sources and its current and emerging thematic foci. A significant point of debate concerns the role of archaeology as a discipline through which to explore ongoing, contemporary sociomaterial practices—is archaeology purely concerned with the abandoned and the ruined, or can it also provide a means by which to engage with and illuminate ongoing, contemporary, and future sociomaterial practices?

Evidential Regimes of Forensic Archaeology

Evidence excavacated from mass graves and clandestine burials has played an important role in the international prosecution of human rights abuses as well as in individual criminal cases. The archaeological dimension of forensic anthropological work is focused on the grave site and its immediate surrounding environment, making the work very visible and sometimes contentious. This review traces the ways in which forensic archaeological evidence is composed and evaluated, exploring how anthropologists have negotiated the sometimes competing demands and claims of the courts, scientific practice, and relatives of the dead.

Keeping the pieces together: Comparison of mass grave excavation methodology

Mass graves are a complex and confusing mix of bodies, body parts, soils, artifacts, and other feature evidence. Forensic investigations of these complex crime scenes should attempt to maximize the collection of evidence, which includes the mortal remains, in their best possible condition as they were deposited within the graves. Two standard methods of mass grave excavation were examined with the aim of identifying the better approach. Two experienced teams using different methodologies excavated two separate but very comparable mass graves located in the same area. Single disarticulated skeletal elements not associated with a body at the time of removal from the grave were categorized and their counts analyzed to evaluate the efficiency of the differing excavation methodologies. The methodologies used were the 'pedestal' method, which focuses on the body mass, and the 'stratigraphic' method, in which the grave feature and contents are conjointly excavated. The first grave (Grave A), excavated using the 'pedestal' method, was observed to have a disproportionately larger amount of unassociated bones than did the second (Grave B), which used the 'stratigraphic' method. Chi-square (chi2) goodness-of-fit and contingency tests were performed on the total numbers of recorded elements and different categorical groups of bones, based on size and shape, in each grave. Results demonstrate that significantly greater numbers of unassociated elements resulted from the excavation of Grave A using the pedestal method, both in total number of disarticulated bones as well as within 'large' and 'medium' categories. Conversely 'small' skeletal elements were recovered at a higher rate in Grave B. The lower 'large' and 'medium' bone production rates from Grave B indicate that the stratigraphic method better maintained the provenience and articulation of remains than did Grave A, while the higher 'small' bone recovery rate may point to better recovery techniques of Grave B's excavation team.