Common Grave Research Articles

Middle Neolithic Burials in Baikal-Yenisey Siberia: Problems of Cultural Identity and Genesis

The study focuses on the analysis of Middle Neolithic burial complexes of the Baikal-Yenisey Siberia. Based on a series of reliable radiocarbon dates, their age lies within the range of 6190–5900 cal BP. It partly corresponds to the end of the hiatus in the mortuary traditions of Cis-Baikal. Features of the burial rite and funerary offerings are analyzed and compared with those of neighboring territories. One of the most frequent images in the art of the Middle Neolithic Baikal-Yenisey Siberia is that of the waterfowl, rendered as fi gurines. The common grave goods are leaf-shaped stone arrowheads, shell beads, and pendants made of animal bones and teeth. The funerary rite included the use of fi re and reddish mineral pigment, as well as disrupting the anatomical integrity of the skeletons, possibly due to partial burial (the data are tentative). Most burials of the late stage of the hiatus are evidently those of hunter-gatherers manufacturing the Ust-Belaya ceramics, which were found in certain burials. A bone arrowhead with a biconical point and fi gurines representing waterfowl suggest cultural ties with the Urals and Western Siberia; but their nature has yet to be clarifi ed, which requires large-scale AMS-dating and paleogenetic analysis.

On paleoepidemiology of spina bifida sacralis: prevalence of the anomaly in Late Scythians of lower Dnieper region

Spina bifida is a developmental anomaly that is thought to be caused by a combination of hereditary and en-vironmental factors. Though the most significant association was found with the folic acid deficit during early em-bryogenesis, numerous genetic variants were also found to be in some association with the development of neu-ral tube defects, but this data is inconsistent. It is still debated whether the unremarkable anomaly (spina bifida occulta) often observed in osteological samples is truly a form of neural tube defects forming in early embryo-genesis, or is a minor variation that is forming later in postnatal life. Also, data is equivocal regarding the neuro-logical consequences of sacral spina bifida occulta, some pointing to its clinical significance, others stating that it does not affect the wellbeing in any way. Though paleopathological studies on spina bifida are numerous, the frequency of the anomaly remains largely unknown for the Early Iron Age population of the Eurasian steppes. This study examines presence of sacral spina bifida in a Late Scynthian sample (3rd c. BC — 3rd с. AD) from the northern Black Sea region. Totally, 89 skeletons were examined, originating from cemeteries near Nikolayevka and Zolotaya Balka villages (Kherson Oblast, Ukrain). These cemeteries are located along the Dnieper river bank about 90 km apart. The people they represent were settled agriculturalists. The defect was scored when either or all of the three upper sacral vertebrae were affected (S1–S3), its level was recorded. Totally, 16 % of individuals were affected. The majority of defects were observed solely on S1 level. Only two cases of spina bifida sacralis totalis were recorded. The frequency of the anomaly was not significantly different either between males and fe-males, or between younger (<35 years) and older (>35 years) adults. In two instances, two individuals buried in a common grave both had spina bifida sacralis which may point to a biological relationship between them. The fre-quency of spina bifida sacralis is very close to the mean values, reported in the literature. Thus, no evidence of an increased selection against individuals in this group with this form of skeletal anomaly, or a significant impact of envi-ronmental factors, leading to its development in ontogenesis, is present. Also, contrary to literature data, it seems that in this sample age and sex were not the factors significantly contributing to the trait’s variation, though the age dynamics of this trait needs further consideration using a sample with higher proportion of senile individuals.

The historical case of discussion on sanitary anti-epidemic activities during period of revolutionary events of 1917 in Irkutsk

The article presents analysis of historical case of discussion about organization of anti-epidemic measures needed because of one-time arrival of large number of wounded and killed in consequence of counter-revolutionary mutiny in Irkutsk during defense of the White House country-house in December 1917. The problem of burial of fallen soldiers and Red Army men was determined during extraordinary session of the City Duma of Irkutsk with further publication of open letter to the Irkutsk Presidium of the Soviets. The well-reasoned positions expressed by physicians and engineers against burial of the killed in common grave on the banks of the Angara River received no support from the revolutionary government. The chronology of the decision taking had political character.

Armed Conflicts and Violation of the Right to Life of Children in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State, South Sudan

The study focused on identifying the common grave violations committed against children, understanding the reasons why children joined armed forces and groups and assessing the effects of armed conflicts on the right to life of children in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State. Simple random sampling was used for the selection of the 375 primary respondents for the study, while purposive sampling was used to determine the 30 key informants who constituted the qualitative sample. Quantitative data analysis was based on 357 questionnaires that were complete / retrieved for the study. Children in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal suffer from the six grave violations committed against children in the situations of armed conflict by parties to the conflict. The most common precipitant cause of recruitment and use of children by parties to the conflict in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State is poverty and the obligation to generate income for their families while others associate themselves for survival or to protect their families. Other children are abducted and threatened to take part in the fighting with the opponents, which gathered a high response rate as well, among other factors which included children, being cheap, easily manipulated, and less visible to the enemies. In terms of the effects of armed conflicts on the right to life of children in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal state, children are the major causalities to landmines and other explosives. Due to their playful nature, they become easy victims to unexploded landmines or landmines and other explosives that have not been successfully removed. They get killed and some get injured, among other physical effects. Other effects are psychological such as trauma and fear. The paper recommends a comprehensive approach to child protection, entailing all relevant stakeholders in the country to ensure that laws and policies on the protection of children are effectively implemented and the ratified international instruments or optional protocols are adhered to. More concrete mechanisms regarding the protection of children in situations of armed conflicts can be sought from best practices elsewhere. There should be avenues in place to beef up the budget on children protection and to ensure accountability of child protection implementations or activities. Sensitization and awareness of children's rights and protection should be continuous. Keywords: Armed Conflicts, Children, Right to Life, Violation, South Sudan DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-24-02 Publication date: December 31 st 2021

Faleristic material from the place of mass extermination in the Blagovshchina forest (Maly Trostenets) in 1942–1943

The article introduces into scientific circulation one of the categories of artifacts – badges and medals of the second half of the 19th century – the end of the 1930s, which were revealed in the process of archaeological survey of field and construction work during the memorialization of the place of mass extermination of the people in the Blagovshchina forest in the period of 1942–1943. The Blagovshchina forest is a common grave for tens of thousands of deported Jewish citizens of Western Europe, prisoners of the Minsk ghetto, resistance fighters, partisans and hostages. A large collection of personal and household items of victims has been collected, which, in the absence of presentational documentary sources, acquires the character of a full-fledged source for the formation of a new source of knowledge with significant information potential. The author also drew attention to the need for a scientific archaeological study of objects of the Modern times, especially associated with the events of the First and Second World Wars.

The aftermath of enforced disappearance and concealment.

Introduction: The forced disappearance of peasants in the Paine commune, Chile, dates back to the first months after the coup in 1973. Ten years ago, as a result of a judicial investigation, the location of a mass grave was revealed to more than one hundred kilometers from the detention site. This finding allowed the identification of eleven detainees who disappeared by genetic methods, along with another five recognized from forensic archaeological evidence. Our main objective is to account for the aftermath of forced disappearance and the operation to conceal the bodies of three generations of relatives of disappeared detainees. Methods: Qualitative research: Case study, carried out between 2014 and 2015, with a total of 19 interviewees from three generations, belonging to six families from Paine. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, with two to three sessions per interviewee and three discussion groups, one for each generation. Results: The three generations face in a dissimilar way the slogan of where are they ?, as well as they attribute different meanings to the skeletal remains. It contrasts the "duty to recognize" of the first generation with the interpellation of the third generation through practices that vindicate the collective dimension of mourning. In the experiences of intergenerational dialogue, spaces of memory have taken center stage, in particular the location of the common grave. One of the relevant results of this investigation has been to give an account of the social experience of forensic identification. Conclusions: Family relationships do not convey an integrating story but rather what stands out is the emptiness of representation and intergenerational silences. Science, through DNA, offers statistical evidence of identification, but the decision is maintained in the individual jurisdiction of each family member. Comprehensive forensic work with the participation of archaeologists, anthropologists, dentists and other experts contributes to restoring the dignity of the victimized body.

Military Burials of the Great Patriotic War on the Territory of the Belarusian-Latvian- Russian Border in the Soviet Practice of Immortalization of Memory

Using archival materials from the National Archive of the Republic of Belarus, the State Archive of Vitebsk region, the Polotsk Zonal State Archive, and the Daugavpils Zonal State Archive of the National Archive of Latvia, as well as published documents of Russian archives and works of historians, this article examines the process of preserving the memory of the fallen soldiers of the Red (Soviet) Army on the territory of the Belarusian- Latvian-Russian border in the post-war Soviet period. The main conclusion is the correctness (incorrectness) of decision making by Soviet authorities at the level of districts and cities in relation to immortalization of the memory of fallen soldiers of the Red (Soviet) Army and partisans. One example of the primary analysis of a common grave in the village of Shevelevo in the Palkinskiy district of the Pskov region. The comparative analysis of the policy of preserving the memory of those who died during the Great Patriotic War, by taking into account military burials and their further memorialization at the Belarusian-Latvian-Russian border in the post-war period, gives us the opportunity to ascertain the specifics of the Soviet republics in this direction. The actions of the Soviet leadership depended on the time of liberation of the territory from the Nazis, as well as the quality of work of the “funeral teams” that were to perform the function of burial of the bodies of the Red (Soviet) Army soldiers after the end of the battle.

THE EXTERMINATION OF THE ANCIENT RUSSIAN CITY OF YAROSLAVL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 13TH CENTURY: THE LONG JOURNEY TO EXACT DATING

ABSTRACTThis paper raises methodological issues of radiocarbon (14C) dating of historical events based on data obtained during the excavations of the Russian medieval city of Yaroslavl. The city is of special interest to our study because of the precise time of its destruction by troops of Batu Khan mentioned in chronicles—the winter of 1238. To date in Yaroslavl, researchers have discovered 9 mass burials of citizens and domestic animals buried sometime after the massacre by the Mongols. Mass burials of people alongside animals in a common grave and outside of the cemetery, in violation of Christian traditions, are not typical of medieval Russia and are a sign of a military catastrophe. To test this hypothesis, we dated a total of 65 samples representing all 9 mass burials. A Bayesian chronological model of the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates narrowed the interval to the range of 1197–1280 cal AD, with the mean age of 1239 AD, consistent with the hypothesis that the studied mass burials of citizens and livestock are related to the capture of the city by the army of Batu Khan.

Commune sepulcrum

In Roman literature, Troy appears as a locus memoriae on several occasions. As a locus memoriae is an image of a location’s past state, it inevitably recalls that past state’s absence in the present. Troy as a literary locus memoriae recalls its own present absence, that it is only a ruin, or – according to Lucan – even less than a ruin. In this context, a literary phenomenon, i. e. the depiction of Troy being the equivalent of the absence of/or the grief for the loss of something or somebody can later be traced in the Roman poetry. Catullus, mourning his brother’s death at Troy, calls the city the common grave (commune sepulcrum) of Asia and Europe in his carmen 68. Regarding Troy, several complex allusions can be noticed in Vergil’s Aeneid recalling both Catullus 68 and 101, the two poems that are in both thematic and intertextual connection with each other. The purpose of the present study is to examine – by means of analysing the above mentioned intertexts – what kind of special locus memoriae Troy becomes in the Aeneid. This will be of crucial importance to observe the way Troy later appears in Lucan’s Bellum Civile.

Who is Schelling’s Bruno?

Schelling argued that early modern science had discarded the ancient teaching of matter – the world soul (die Weltseele or anima mundi, the unity of soul and body, eternity and time, absolute possibility and existence) – «into the common grave they dug for nature and have brought about the death of all science». In order to put science on a more philosophical tract, Schelling retrieved the work of Giordano Bruno as part of his «handful» of thinkers who in a contemporary context appear on the border between an ancient but still vital sense of philosophy and the emerging scientific study of nature.

Sexing Viking Age horses from burial and non-burial sites in Iceland using ancient DNA

Horses are the most common grave goods found in Icelandic Viking Age graves. Horse skeletons have previously been sexed based on pelvis shape and the presence of canine teeth in male horses over 4–5 years of age. Morphological data has shown that all horses from Icelandic burials that were amenable to sexing were male. Yet the use of morphological methods to determine sex is problematic since they rely on finding a well-preserved pelvis and/or robust canine teeth. Furthermore, quantitative data underlying the features of the horse pelvis used for sexing is lacking and canine teeth have been reported to occur in mares. In this study we build upon and extend recently developed methodologies to make use of shotgun sequencing of ancient DNA (aDNA) for molecular sexing of Viking Age horse remains. With minimal sequencing effort we identified the sex of the largest collection (n = 22) of Viking Age Icelandic horses studied to date, sourced from both burial (n = 19) and non-burial (n = 3) sites. Our results revealed a male to female sex bias ratio of 18:1 in burial sites, versus 0:3 in non-burial sites. These findings support the significant over-representation of male horses in Viking Age graves in Iceland, yet show that –albeit rare– mares could also be selected for ritual burial in Viking Age Iceland. This cost-effective method provides statistical confidence to allow for sexing of highly fragmented archaeological specimens with low endogenous DNA content.

Quand les souvenirs affleurent : mémoire de la répression franquiste dans le film Santaella (2008) de Daniel Touati

Realized in 2008, Santaella, is the first documentary of the French film maker Daniel Touati. The film relates the process of opening of the common grave of Santaella, where about thirty men victims of the Franco’s repression were buried at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Led by the association Foro por la Memoria, the work of excavations and exhumation of the bodies leads the relatives of the victims to entrust their memories of the repression to the camera. The evocation of the past since the present of narration is based on these testimonies, which occupy a central place in the film. By not using any archive footage, Daniel Touati rejects any element that could objectify the sensitive approach of the past he defends, and contributes to strengthen the memory discourse which his film carries.

Group finds of coins of the first half of the 20th century. Two south-Bohemian cases

The presented article describes two group coin-finds from south Bohemia. The first group of coins was discovered via exhumation of a common grave in the surroundings of Horní Lhota near Lásenice dating back to May 1945. It is represented by cash (or remaining part of it) owned by a German soldier in May 1945. The second group of coins was found at the Radíš hillfort, and it is represented by pieces in a wallet evidently lost on a trip or during forest works sometimes between 1949 and 1953. The article emphasizes importance and necessity of documentation even of these late modern coin-finds.

Evidence of innovation and social differentiation in burial practices in Early Bronze Age Moravia

Central European Early Bronze Age (EBA) society is distinguished by its greater variety of burial practices. Along with common grave burials in cemeteries, there is a significant increase in storage pit burials (PBs). PBs are assumed to be a minor deviation from common EBA burial practices. Based on archaeological and skeletal evidence found in contemporaneous pit and grave burials (GBs) within EBA settlements and cemeteries in Moravia, Czech Republic, we present an alternative view that PBs are a social innovation and evidence increasing cultural complexity and gender differentiation. Multidimensional scaling was used to visualise the degree of similarity of the archaeological data, and the relationship of health status to burial location was determined through cross-tabulation. Binary logistic regression was used to predict the odds of being buried in PBs or GBs. Our analyses indicate that in the Moravian EBA community, here are at least two archaeologically visible burial practices, each with different gender treatments. We posit that increased variation in burial practice evidences increasing social differentiation of males from females.

Popes convict dead Pope Twice! The unbelievable Cadaver Synod.

In 897, the 9-month-old corpse of the late Pope Formosus stood trial by the reigning pontiff, Stephen VII. Stephen VII convicted Formosus, sentenced the cadaveric Pope to have three fingers of his right hand amputated and then had him buried in a common grave. This posthumous trial raised theological and sacramental debates and created an outrage in Rome that became the cause of Stephen VII's swift downfall. Pope Formosus joins other notable historical figures such as St. Thomas Becket and John Wycliffe who were tried and punished after death.

高齢者グループリビングにおける居住者間関係と生活の質

PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH Elderly Group Living (EDL) is a practice of new habitation style that elderly people share a house to cooperate with each other in order to make up for physical inability. Because of interaction between residents, EDLs have possibilities to improve the level of elder's quality of life. However, there are following questions; which level should they accept about resident's mental and physical depression and could they combine support accepting and resident's independence? Therefore, we focused attention on “Group House SAKURA”. It is the EGL which has the longest history in Japan. Through this practice, this paper aims to clarify substance of management in this house by resident's basic attribute, residency lengths, resident's age change and manager's response of this, and then it aims to consider interrelationship between residents and between a resident and the manager.SUMMARY OF THE TARGETED HOUSE AND MATERIAL TO BE OBJECTS TO ANALYZED The founder and manager builds “Group House SAKURA” at an opportunity of own housing rehabilitation in 1990. She lives next door in same building. It has 6 rooms with a sink and a toilet, and it has a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom, and a laundry room in common. The practice of new habitation attracted much interest from the public, and more than one published material released about this house. The founder and manager wrote one of them. We used them as objects to analyze, and excerpted description. In addition, we conducted hearing surveys to grasp recent situation. Especially at interaction to forge relationship, we did qualitative research using Grounded Theory Approach (Saiki-Craig hill version). CONCLUSIONS (1) Realization of long-term and stable habitation Total number of residents was 14. Residency lengths were the longest in 18 years, and averaged 8.5 years. The resident could stay living with onset of dementia. In addition to successful relationship, intercommunion after move, conduct a funeral service, and existence of common grave provided a perspective on life course to residents and environment to make them aspire for long-term habitation. (2) Situational responses in inhabited environmental improvement In response to changes in social settings and increasing age of residents, the manager created an environment not only some hardware like renovation their house but also some software. At the beginning, the residents worked together and assumed a role such as setting the table for supper and cleaning common spaces. However with resident's aging, they used Home-visit service by Long-Term Care Insurance Act. The manager launched a company and started Outpatient rehabilitation service. For preparing meals, She made a new relatively-young resident take a role for onerous act. (3) Relationship between residents based on mutual understanding, and quality of life to be gained from it From the situation that residents lived in an inner circle on a daily basis, though they had argument or bickering, they boosted mutual understanding and a sense of tension and competition. It brought about some effects that they had got feelings of self-esteem and acceptableness, fun in the life of not being alone, mutual aid, intellectual development, regulation for their, and health maintenance. (4) Development of a trust relationship by respecting opinions of the residents From the situation that the manager interfaced with balance of payments and assured sustainability, she helped / suggested / encouraged intercommunion / adjusted / no involving. In response to these action, the residents inclined / declined and they indicated their feelings like contentment / discontentment. The manager kept respecting their opinions. It leaded that she developed a trust relationship with residents.

A Systematic Comparison of Material Culture Between Household Floors and Residential Burials in Late Third-Millennium B.C.E. Mesopotamia

www.ajaonline.org A systematic comparison between funerary and house-floor artifacts at the site of Titris Hoyuk in southeastern Turkey demonstrates that an overall sense of domesticity and routine was a large part of residential mortuary practice in Mesopotamia in the late third millennium B.C.E. In particular, this comparative analysis reveals that undecorated, everyday dishes were among the most common grave goods in residential burials, suggesting that repetitious, quotidian activities were the primary focus of mortuary symbolism in these tombs. The living do not seem to have incorporated special material culture when they buried their dead. Whether these artifacts were mortuary gifts or remains of funerary feasts, only ordinary items were placed in the tombs as grave goods. This is consistent with the apparent absence of interest in special embellishment of the corpse or the tomb architecture. The observed patterns include the diminished importance of certain aspects of regular life and the minimized expression of individual identities in the mortuary contexts.1

HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTIGATIONS IN SPAIN

The crimes perpetrated against Spanish civilians during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), and under Franco's regime (1939–75), are considered within some quarters as constituting a Spanish holocaust (Preston 2012), leaving in its wake innumerable clandestine burials within the mainland and island territories. However, there existed afterward a situation in which no retribution was made available for those who survived the turmoil, and likewise for the families of the victims, leaving a section of the Spanish population without access to means of a process of transitional justice. Investigations into the extrajudicial killings, and the recovery and identification of remains via the application of forensic anthropology did not come about until 2000, when a scientific approach to finding the disappeared was applied. Within the last decade and up to 2012, forensic anthropology has aided in the recovery of thousands of skeletal remains, albeit under difficult and far from ideal circumstances; the exhumation of a common grave located in Izagre, León province, and the subsequent attempt to identify the recovered victims will be presented as an example of the difficulties encountered. The exhumation and biological profiling of the victims has created a positive outcome within many families and some areas of society; nevertheless, at present, the dire economic situation of the country has caused the cessation of field or laboratory work.

Keynote Address III: The reconstruction of the face of a 2500 year-old girl: Myrtis

In 1944–1945, during works for the construction of the new Athens Metro in the historical area of the ancient cemetery of Athens, Keramikos, the archaeological excavation brought to light a common grave, which dates back to the time of the notorious Plague of Athens (430–426 B.C.) that killed Pericles and decimated the Athenians. The grave contained skeletal remains of ca. 150 people, both children and adults, and among them the skull of an eleven year-old girl, which retained both deciduous and permanent teeth, a characteristic typical for her age. The child – who was given the ancient name Myrtis – died of typhoid fever during the plague of Athens. Typhoid fever is even today – after 2500 years – the cause of death for 500,000–700,000 people every year. Moreover, each year nearly nine million children under five are losing their lives from typhoid fever and other diseases that can be prevented and treated. For this reason, the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) “asked” Myrtis to become a friend of the UN Millennium Development Goals and join, in her own unique way, the United Nations world campaign “We can End Poverty”. After detecting the causative factor of her death, there occurred the idea of remolding the head and face of the ancient child. Although modern standards of ideal proportions and facial esthetics are based mostly on observations of human faces as depicted in Classical Greek masterpieces of art, the real faces of ordinary ancient Greeks have, until now, remained elusive and subject to the imagination. Objective forensic techniques of facial reconstruction have never been applied before, because human skeletal material from Classical Greece has been extremely scarce, since most decent burials of that time required cremation. The original skull was replicated via three-dimensional modeling and rapid prototyping techniques. The reconstruction followed the Manchester method, laying the facial tissues from the surface of the skull outward by using depth marker pegs as thickness guides. The shape, size, and position of the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were determined according to features of the underlying skeletal tissues, whereas the hairstyle followed the fashion of the time. This is the first case of facial reconstruction of a layperson residing in Athens of the Golden Age of Pericles. It is ironic, however, that this unfortunate girl who lived such a short life in ancient Athens, will now, 2500 years later, have the chance to travel and be universally recognizable in a world much bigger than anybody in ancient Athens could have ever imagined.

‘Abnormalities and deformities’: the dissection and interment of the insane poor, 1832–1929

The body trade of anatomy schools in Victorian times that underpinned the expansion of medical education has been neglected. This article examines dissection records of insane paupers, sold to repay their welfare debt to society. Each cadaver was entered in an 'Abnormalities and Deformities' dissection book. Student doctors paid fees to anatomists to be taught the pathology of insanity under the Medical Act. Anatomists also dissected cadavers to do further brain and eye research on epilepsy and glaucoma in the insane. These bodies were often dissected to their extremities. Their fragmentary remains were then disposed of in a common grave. This secret body trade and its asylum supply-chain merit further work in disability studies and the history of psychiatry.