Abstract
This article presents the results of multidisciplinary research undertaken in 2016–2019 at the German Nazi Treblinka I Forced Labour Camp. Housing 20,000 prisoners, Treblinka I was established in 1941 as a part of a network of objects such as forced labour camps, resettlement camps and prison camps that were established in the territory of occupied Poland from September 1939. This paper describes archaeological research conducted in particular on the execution site and burial site—the area where the “death pits” have been found—in the so-called Las Maliszewski (Maliszewa Forest). In this area (poorly documented) exhumation work was conducted only until 1947, so the location of these graves is only approximately known. The research was resumed at the beginning of the 21st century using, e.g., non-invasive methods and remote-sensing data. The leading aim of this article is to describe the comprehensive research strategy, with a particular stress on non-invasive geophysical surveys. The integrated archaeological research presented in this paper includes an analysis of archive materials (aerial photos, witness accounts, maps, plans, and sketches), contemporary data resources (orthophotomaps, airborne laser scanning-ALS data), field work (verification of potential objects, ground penetrating radar-GPR surveys, excavations), and the integration, analysis and interpretation of all these datasets using a GIS platform. The results of the presented study included the identification of the burial zone within the Maliszewa Forest area, including six previously unknown graves, creation of a new database, and expansion of the Historical-GIS-Treblinka. Obtained results indicate that the integration and analyses within the GIS environment of various types of remote-sensing data and geophysical measurements significantly contribute to archaeological research and increase the chances to discover previously unknown “graves” from the time when the labour camp Treblinka I functioned.
Highlights
IntroductionResearch into the relics of mass murder and traces of martyrdom during World War II in Treblinka is an element of a global research tendency to shape an interdisciplinary perspective in order to identify, protect, and commemorate past events.The described initiative fits into an examination of the history of the 20th century, the history ofWorld War II, and into the research referred to as archaeologies of the contemporary past (archaeology of recent past) [1,2,3,4], forensic archaeology [5,6], conflict archaeology (modern conflict archaeology) [7,8,9], painful heritage (difficult heritage) [10,11], historical archaeology [12,13,14,15], in addition to the fields known as the archaeology of totalitarianism [16], Holocaust archaeology [17,18]or criminal archaeology [19,20]
The work commenced with an analysis of documents and accounts, which allowed the places where victims’ remains could be found to be initially determined to carry out geophysical prospection at specified sites
The results of the research carried out in the years 2015–2019 contributed to finding new sites at which human remains had been deposited within the area known as the Maliszewa Forest, based on the use of remote-sensing data and ground-penetrating radar survey profiles (GPR)
Summary
Research into the relics of mass murder and traces of martyrdom during World War II in Treblinka is an element of a global research tendency to shape an interdisciplinary perspective in order to identify, protect, and commemorate past events.The described initiative fits into an examination of the history of the 20th century, the history ofWorld War II, and into the research referred to as archaeologies of the contemporary past (archaeology of recent past) [1,2,3,4], forensic archaeology [5,6], conflict archaeology (modern conflict archaeology) [7,8,9], painful heritage (difficult heritage) [10,11], historical archaeology [12,13,14,15], in addition to the fields known as the archaeology of totalitarianism [16], Holocaust archaeology [17,18]or criminal archaeology [19,20]. Contemporary archaeological research is clearly a contributor to the collection of new data about the history of concentration camps, and includes non-destructive methods such as remote sensing or geophysical surveys. Restoring victims’ dignity and memory after decades of non-existence is a focus for discussion [21] and for practical implementation of interdisciplinary research in Poland, Europe, and globally [22,23]. The situation concerning the former forced labour and extermination camp, and execution site, at Treblinka appears similar [24,25]. On the basis of the established concept—comprehensive research into the past of the camp and its surroundings (which is a concept supported by the category of a palimpsest in examining and comprehending past events) [26,27]—various activities have been undertaken which have yielded new data on the past and relics of the camp
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