Individual Graves Research Articles

Dental health status of the medieval silver-mining community from Kutná Hora (Czech Republic, 13th–16th c.): Impact of socioeconomic changes and mortality crises

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to evaluate the pathological conditions in teeth from skeletal remains found in the medieval burial ground at Kutná Hora (13th–16th centuries, Czech Republic). We focused on the effect on dental health of socioeconomic changes associated with the boom in silver mining at the site. DesignIn this study, dental caries and antemortem tooth loss were recorded for 469 sexed adults (10,558 permanent teeth). Pathologies were analysed and presented by teeth and alveoli, and the differences between their frequencies were tested in sex-, age-, and burial context-separated groups (mass vs. individual graves). ResultsThe oral conditions were characterised by a low frequency of caries and moderate frequency of antemortem tooth loss (AMTL). For caries, males and females showed the same frequencies while AMTL comparisons indicated a higher rate in females. Most differences emerged between age-separated and burial context-separated groups. The age progression of the pathologies was confirmed for both caries and AMTL. Skeletons from mass burials had higher caries and AMTL frequencies than those buried in individual graves. ConclusionsThe dataset exhibited low caries and below average AMTL rates compared to other medieval European skeletal series. We think that life in this mining centre had a positive effect on the dental health of its inhabitants. The relatively poorer dental health of those buried in mass graves reflected either the specific composition of the population in the first half of the 14th century or the lower resilience of these individuals when facing mortality crises.

Bacterial Endospores as an Additional Source of Archaeological Knowledge in the Analysis of a Burial Cemetery of the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian Culture in Dębina (SE Poland)

Archaeological studies need to use laboratory techniques, including analytical methods like Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, gas chromatography – mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography, as well as genetic methods to resolve and verify scientific hypotheses. However, additional tools are still needed in the case of the cultural practicesand traditions of ancient societies. Archaeological examinations of cultural practices have made significant progress in recent years, but additional tools are still needed to fully understand the complexity and diversity of these practices. In this work, we demonstrate how the genotyping of soil bacteria that can produce endospores is a potentially additional method for discovering past funeral rituals in various human populations who used food during their ceremonies. Endospores were isolated from soil samples taken from inside earthenware cup and pot-type vessels from a burial ground identified with the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian culture (SE Poland). The detected species of spore-forming bacteria strains were mostly environmental (originating from soil and / or water). However, the presence of some of the taxa i.e. (Peanibacillus, Bacillus) may provide a valuable source of archaeological information. We found that a combination of molecular and microbiological analysis can support archaeological studies of burial grounds and – in particular – individual graves, especially when they are characterized by a complete lack of bones.

A Grave Situation: Burial Practices among the Chinese Diaspora in Queensland, Australia (ca.1870–1930)

AbstractMany nineteenth-century Chinese migrants to Pacific Rim countries died far from their home villages. Diverse approaches were adopted to mark graves, possibly anticipating the subsequent, culturally important, repatriation of their bones. This paper evaluates the morphology of grave markers from eight northeast Australian sites and considers reasons for the variations. Physical appraisal of each site was undertaken and, where they exist, cemetery records and allied documentation examined. In an unusual departure from the norm the inscriptions on most identified grave markers rarely indicate date of death. The seemingly meticulous attention to grave identification in some areas contrasts with others where markers are absent. This study indicates divergent approaches to identification and recording of individual graves over time and place. Rather than indicating full-fledged ethnogenesis, wherein Australian Chinese developed new cultural practices, these behaviors suggest that ca.1870–1930 was a transitional period, during which extant cultural processes were adapted to meet immediate needs.

Celebrating Third Anniversary of October Revolution in Altai Province in 1920

This article examines the process of organizing celebratory events for the third anniversary of the October Revolution in the Altai Province. The focus is on the preparatory work, including the planning of festive activities, the coordination of themes for propaganda work, and the distribution of red fabric for making flags, among other things. The relevance of the study lies not only in the interest in the formation of the Soviet holiday calendar but also in the everyday life of the population in Siberia under the policy of ‘prodrazverstka’. By drawing on a wide range of sources, the article identifies the peculiarities of celebrating the third anniversary of the October Revolution, taking into account differences between urban and rural areas. It is determined that in cities, celebratory events were mass-oriented and covered all segments of the population, including parades, performances, and concerts. In rural areas, there were often no events due to weak propaganda work. Visiting individual graves and communal burial sites of those who died fighting for Soviet power became an important element of the holiday. The article concludes that celebrating the anniversary of the October Revolution in Siberia was a key aspect of the propaganda policy in favor of the Soviet state.

Social and Economic Status of the Dead: Burials in the Period of Early Christianity

Traditionally, the necropolises of the 4th century have been considered in the framework of the spread of Christianity, conceived as a linear progression. The research into the necropolises of this period is predominantly based upon the premise that the earliest Christian burials are “poor”, so consequently the lack of grave offerings has often been identified as the indicator of Christianity. From this starting point, the research goals have almost always been identified in terms of determination of religious character of the necropolises, i. e. whether they were Christian or pagan. This text therefore aims to question this firmly held belief that the economic status of the individuals buried in the 4th century in the territory of Serbia may be equated to their religious (Christian) identity. The premise which equates the absence of certain artefacts as the proof the presence of religious ideas is problematic, especially since the graves with “rich” offerings were registered during this period, some of them plausibly identified as burials of the Christians. Furthermore, this premise severely limits the issues that can be raised, and the paper proposes the move from the perpetual goal to identify individual graves as Christian or pagan. It is argued here that this period is characterized by frequent and important political, economic, social, and religious changes. If we move from the assumption that the religious identity of individuals (and necropolises) can be ascribed in a straightforward manner, the burials of this period can offer valuable insight into the lives of people who were not subsumed to their religious affiliation, or at least not in the way we ascribe to them.

Location of historic mass graves from the 1919 Spanish Influenza in the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg using geophysics

The Spanish Influenza of 1919 had a devastating effect on Aboriginal Australian communities, particularly Cherbourg (formerly known as Barambah Aboriginal Reserve), which resulted in a loss of ~15% of their population. Deaths happened so quickly that coffins were not built and, in some cases, trenches or mass graves were used to inter the dead in addition to individual graves. Although the trench locations were formally unknown by the Cherbourg community today, a major concern of the Cherbourg Elders is that they wanted to memorialise those affected by the 1919 pandemic, especially 100 years later. One attempt to locate the mass graves was to apply geophysical methods in the New and Old Cherbourg cemeteries to detect these unmarked burials. Our paper demonstrates how ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic gradiometry were used along with oral histories and Indigenous knowledge to detect three mass graves associated with the Spanish Influenza. Outcomes such as this play an important role is supporting ‘Truth Telling’ for the Cherbourg Aboriginal community.

Time-Lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography Imaging of Buried Human Remains in Simulated Mass and Individual Graves

Electrical resistivity has been used as a noninvasive geophysical technique for locating clandestine graves and monitoring human decay within the subsurface. Detailed studies assessing resistivity anomalies due to soil disturbances and decay products associated with graves have relied on the use of proxies, such as pigs, with limited studies using real human cadavers and simulating a mass grave setting and none assessing the anomalies in 3D. In this study, we used time-lapse 2D and quasi-3D electrical resistivity distribution measured over an experimental mass grave and individual graves containing human cadavers to assess resistivity anomalies resulting from graves and the presence of decaying human remains in them. This study is part of a novel multidisciplinary mass grave experimental study with six graves consisting of a mass grave with six human cadavers, a controlled mass grave with none, three individual graves with one human cadaver each, and a control individual grave with none. Nine parallel resistivity transects which allow us to image these graves in their 3D context were acquired prior to excavation and 2 days, 1, 2, and 6 months after burial using a dipole–dipole electrode array, a unit electrode spacing of 0.5 m, and an interprofile spacing of 1m. The value of different electrode arrays and spacings in identifying the contrast between the graves was also assessed using forward models and field data. Soil sensors were installed at different locations in the graves to monitor soil electrical conductivity, moisture content, and temperature. The results of this study show an increase in electrical resistivity 2 days after burial in all graves with human remains and the control graves, which we attribute to increased soil aeration where disturbed pores are filled with air. The resistivity decreases thereafter in graves with human remains which we attribute to the formation of conductive leachates. This study validates the potential of electrical resistivity as a forensic search tool for locating both clandestine mass and individual graves and as a noninvasive monitoring technique to support human decomposition research.

Geophysical imaging of buried human remains in simulated mass and single graves: Experiment design and results from pre-burial to six months after burial

In this study, we present an experiment design and assess the capability of multiple geophysical techniques to image buried human remains in mass and individual graves using human cadavers willingly donated for scientific research. The study is part of a novel, interdisciplinary mass grave experiment established in May 2021 which consists of a mass grave with 6 human remains, 3 individual graves and 2 empty control graves dug to the same size as the mass grave and individual graves. Prior to establishing the graves, we conducted background measurements of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), electromagnetics (EM), and ground penetrating radar (GPR) while soil profiles were analyzed in situ after excavating the graves. All graves were also instrumented with soil sensors for monitoring temporal changes in soil moisture, temperature, and electrical conductivity in situ. Measurements of ERT, EM and GPR were repeated 3, 37, 71 and 185 days after burial with further repeated measurements planned for another twelve months. ERT results show an initial increase in resistivity in all graves including the control graves at 3 days after burial and a continuous decrease thereafter in the mass and individual graves with the strongest decrease in the mass grave. Conductivity distribution from the EM shows a similar trend to the ERT with an initial decrease in the first 3 days after burial. Distortion in linear reflectors, presence of small hyperbolas and isolated strong amplitude reflectors in the GPR profiles across the graves is associated with known locations of the graves. These initial results validate the capability of geoelectrical methods in detecting anomalies associated with disturbed ground and human decay while GPR though show some success is limited by the geology of the site.

9. De la fosse au cimetière juif. Les transferts de corps après la Shoah

One characteristic of the Shoah is the absence of the victims’ bodies. In fact, this very absence is communicated through the term “Holocaust.” However, their bodies—the number of which remains unknown—were not destroyed. The bodies of Jewish victims, most of whom were killed at the very start or at the very end of the Holocaust, were not burned. Rather, they were buried in mass graves. The purpose of this article is to describe the efforts of the survivors to locate, exhume, and identify these bodies and to move them to a Jewish cemetery. While it is difficult to estimate the number of people who have been transferred from mass graves, it is certain that many exhumations have taken place, and some continue to this day. To describe and analyze this phenomenon, we will use a selection of Memorbikher, some of which have already been described by Gabriel Finder, and a few articles from secondary literature source (e.g. Sarah Garibova’s articles on the Soviet Union). In particular, we will use many cases identified during our research, such as 222 examples of exhumations (55 of which are in English) described in the USC Shoah Foundation’s testimonies. The first observation is that these exhumations and transfers are spread out over a very long period of time. The first instances took place in 1940 in Poland in the wake of the first massacres. Jews paid for the right to exhume the bodies and place them in the city cemetery. To our knowledge, the most recent transfer is that of the body of Casimir Oberfeld, who died during his evacuation from Auschwitz to Bohemia. He was buried in a Christian cemetery, and his son repatriated his remains to France in 2018.The article will examine the conditions surrounding the exhumations, and in particular the chain of custody for human remains. Who took the initiative to exhume victims’ bodies, and what negotiations took place with local, national, and even international authorities? What power struggles played out around the issue of these mass graves? What were the technical conditions of exhumation and transfer? This article will also examine the question of how far victims’ bodies were transferred. Many individuals were moved a few dozen feet or a few miles from a mass grave by the Einsatzgruppen to the Jewish cemetery in the village ; others were moved thousands of miles, as was the case for the bones of the Jews who were buried together in a work Kommando in Bohemia and then brought to Israel in 1991 by Jado Weiss. In most instances, the exhumations were perfunctory, without even the intervention of a forensic pathologist. How did the survivors justify moving these remains to a Jewish cemetery? Until recently, there have been very few testimonials about the intervention of rabbinic authorities or justification by religious leaders, but the Jewish traditions of ritual burial in individual graves in Jewish cemeteries were strongly internalized by the survivors. The article will also discuss the graves that were dug in Jewish cemeteries to accommodate the exhumed bodies. What inscriptions were placed on the grave markers? Do they mention where the remains came from?Finally, we will discuss whether or not these exhumations can be considered unique and examine their ability to symbolically replace collective burials, which were impossible due to the absence of physical bodies. This situation contrasts what happened at the Potocari cemetery for the victims of Srebrenica, for example. In the words of the survivors, the transfer of a few bodies served as a replacement for ceremonies that could not be perfumed due to the cremation of the victims.

Identifying Late Iron Age textile plant fibre materials with microscopy and X-ray methods \u2014 a study on finds from Ravattula Ristim\xe4ki (Kaarina, Finland)

In Finland, the earliest remains of a Christian church and cemetery date to the Late Iron Age (800–1150/1300 AD) and have been excavated in Ravattula Ristimäki, in Kaarina, southwestern Finland. In this study, seven assumingly plant fibre textile samples from individual inhumation graves were analysed to identify their materials. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibilities of identifying archaeological plant fibre samples using a three-stage procedure by observing the surface characteristics, microfibrillar orientation and cross section of the fibres via transmitted light microscopy (TLM). The identification process was based on such a TLM characterisation. Additionally, parts of the samples were studied with X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) to test the possibilities of using the X-ray methods in research and to identify bast fibre textiles. Both flax and nettle were found in the samples, indicating a preference for these two fibre plants in Late Iron Age Finland.

Identification of Muslim burial sites at the Zehrensdorf prisoner of war cemetery

More than 400 mostly Muslim soldiers of the tsarist army who had been taken prisoner by the Germans during the First World War are buried in the Zehrensdorf prisoner of war cemetery south of Berlin. The cemetery is an important testimony to the entangled history of the colonial empires in the First World War and to the European confrontation with Islam in the early 20th century. When the Zehrensdorf cemetery was restored in the early 2000s, it was not possible to identify the positions of all individual graves and to mark them by name due to the scarcity of sources. New research and the synchronization of previously unconnected archives have brought to light sources that now allow a comprehensive reconstruction of the burial sites. The article gives an overview of the historical context of the Zehrensdorf prisoner of war cemetery, its origin and memory history and describes the methodological approach as well as the individual findings of the reconstruction, in the course of which the graves of 409 individuals could be identified and marked.

Нумизматический материал XV—XVI вв. из погребений у деревни Коваши Ленинградской области

In the fall of 2019, the archaeological expedition of the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences carried out excavations in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region, in the village of Kovashi. During the course of the excavations, a previously unknown burial ground of the 15th—16th centuries was investigated, including at least 97 burials. Among the burial items, the most significant ones are 33 coins of Novgorod and Pskov Republics’ emission, of Principality of All Rus during the reigns of Ivan III, Vasily III and Ivan IV. The composition of the numismatic collection from the burials of the Kovashi burial ground reflected the most important changes that took place in the financial sphere of the Novgorod Republic during the period of its independence ceding to Moscow. Coins found in the tombs have become the leading chronological indicator, allowing us to refine both the dating of individual graves containing money and the functioning of all of the burial ground by following the process of its development. Fixation of the “obol of the dead” among the population of the Vodskaya Pyatina supplements the available data on the burial rites of the local population and their idea of the afterlife.

Reopening graves in the early Middle Ages: from local practice to European phenomenon

Across Europe early medieval archaeologists have long recognised significant numbers of graves displaying evidence for the intentional post-burial disturbance of skeletons and artefacts. The practice of reopening and manipulating graves soon after burial, traditionally described—and dismissed—as ‘robbing’, is documented at cemeteries from Transylvania to southern England. This article presents a synthesis of five recent regional studies to investigate the evidence of and the motivations for the reopening of early medieval graves. From the later sixth century AD, the reopening of individual graves and removal of selected artefact types rapidly became part of the shared treatment of the dead across this wide area.

THE RITUAL OF TWIN BURIALS IN KUDASHEVSKY I BURIAL GROUND OF PERM PRIKAMYE

The article deals with the features of the funeral rite of the ancient population - twin burials on the example of the Kudashevsky I burial ground (3 - 5 centuries AD), located in the Bardymsky district of the Perm Region. In the ground part of the monument in the rows, along with individual pits are allocated a slightly larger size, but having the same orientation to the cardinal directions. All twin burials of the monument have inventory that does not differ from individual burials in the composition and number of items. But some details in the decoration of the burial place twin graves differ from individual graves. The funerary wooden structures in the graves represent separate places for each of the pair and differ in morphological details. Grave items of weapons and household items are found in men's graves, as well as in individual graves. Comparison of the accompanying inventory allows you to determine the gender and status of a person in a pair, to identify important people - men who played a significant role in the military and women who have set neck jewelry - necklaces. Armaments and household items were found in male graves, jewelry and household items in female burials, as well as in individual graves. The study of things in the burials made it possible to date the twin graves to the time of the late 4 - early 5 centuries. The issue of semantics of twin burials is considered. Twin burials are associated with the processes of assimilation of the newcomer population into the local population. Analogs to twin burials from burial sites of the middle of the 1 Millennium AD of the Perm and Udmurt Kama region are given.

Раскопки тагарских курганов на площади могильников Сагайская протока 1, 2, 5 и 12

The publication presents materials from the excavations of 6 burial mounds belonging to four separate Early Iron Age burial grounds. The investigations were carried out in the Askizsky District of the Republic of Khakassia as part of rescue works in the construction site of the second railway track at the “Chartykovsky - Kamyshta” section. Most of the burials were looted in antiquity. Inlet burials related to Tesinskaya archaeological culture were made in the barrow of an isolated mound of Sagayskaya protoka 5. In the course of the railway construction in the mid-20th century, the earthen barrows and underground stone structures were destroyed (burial site Sagayskaya protoka 1). Nevertheless, some burials have survived intact. This made it possible to establish the details of the funeral rituals and to correlate the archaeological sites with the Podgorny and Saragash stages of the Tagar culture. The Podgorny burials (VII-VI centuries BC) are characterized by arrangement of individual graves. The dead people were placed in stone boxes set in ground pits, accompanied by meat food and grave goods. In the surviving graves, bronze knives, a handle metal stap, mirrors, awls, beads, pendants made of animal teeth and the claw of a bird ofprey were found. The vessels are standard in shape and ornament. Rare finds include miniature combs (less than 2 cm long) decorated with solar symbols. The Saragash stage is represented by grave 4 in the Sagayskaya protoka 5 barrow containing the burials of 9 adults. The burial is tentatively dated to the V-IV centuries BC.

RE-EVALUATING THE BRONZE AND EARLIEST IRON AGE IN LATVIA: CHANGES IN BURIAL TRADITIONS IN THE LIGHT OF 14C DATES

ABSTRACTUntil recently, there was a lack of radiocarbon (14C) dates from the Bronze and Earliest Iron Age (1800–500–1 BC) burial sites in Latvia. The chronology of the sites was assessed on the basis of archaeological analogies with neighboring regions and typological studies of the rather meagre grave inventory. In order to establish a firm foundation for an absolute chronology of burial sites and to better understand changes in mortuary practices during the period, sequences of samples from various burial sites have been dated. In this paper we report 48 14C dates from 12 different sites and discuss them in the context of previously established archaeological chronologies. 14C reservoir effects are addressed: regarding FRE, stable isotope analysis is helpful; however, more data should be gathered in future research. In some cases, the new dates are in accord with previous chronologies, while in other cases some widely accepted assumptions may need to be revised. The new dates have proved false several previous assumptions about both the dates of individual graves and whole sites. Based on the 14C dates, we model the chronological spread of burial barrows in Latvia along waterways, the earliest examples appearing in coastal western Latvia.

Infralocus: cartografiando las prácticas de infrahumanidad del paseo de la Guerra Civil

La localización y exhumación de fosas comunes son actualmente, podemos decir, el foco de las reivindicaciones con respecto a la Guerra Civil española y la represión de la dictadura franquista. En territorios españoles como Galicia, a pesar de haberse podido utilizar “chupaderos” o “agujeros negros” para desaparecer los cuerpos, se optó por lugares comunes y frecuentados a dónde se paseaba a los insurgentes. Los cuerpos eran abandonados allí donde eran visibles, haciendo que las prácticas de represión adquieran una dimensión pública inscrita en el espacio, que también es así violentado. Esas prácticas de desaparición niegan la humanidad de quien ha sido ajusticiado, los restos yacen en lugares y en formas marginales, se marcan simbólicamente como infrahumanos. Estos infraloci no son únicamente el escenario de una muerte violenta, son paisajes del terror, lugares marginales que marcan a quien es allí muerto. En muchos casos se trata de enterramientos de carácter individual, que parecen más bien fosas comunes fragmentadas, o fosas de tela de araña, con un ejecutor común y víctimas geográficamente dispersas. En este texto propongo una metodología peripatética para aproximarme a 14 lugares de muerte. Se rehúye de un enfoque basado en el testimonio con el objetivo de indagar en las otras dimensiones que surgen y están activas en torno al paseado más allá de la veracidad y la búsqueda de justicia o reparación.

Le prestige des guerriers : équipements d’archers campaniformes en Europe centrale

The Bell Beaker culture is illustrated above all by the figure of the warrior, which is omnipresent in grave goods and has long supported invasionist theories. In order to better understand the social significance of the Bell Beaker warrior, this study aims to analyse the related object-signs (arrowheads, bracers, grooved abraders, bow-shaped pendants, daggers) in Central Europe, where individual graves are predominant. Based on a techno-functional approach, the whole biography of these objects is analysed here in order to clarify their modes of production and consumption. Alongside the biographies of individuals based on their sex, age and wealth, the history of these objects makes it possible to outline a model of Bell Beaker society. Far from the alleged conquests, it transpires that adherence to warrior ideology may have been driven by the opportunity it gave individuals to express strategies of social prestige.

3. Personal Relationships between Co-buried Individuals in the Central European Early Bronze Age

People were usually buried in single, individual graves in Early Bronze Age Austria and the surrounding areas, but there are some exceptions. In burials of two or more people, it is often the way that bodies were placed in relation to each other that suggests familiarity, if not family. This paper reviews the social relations expressed through co-burials, and aims to better understand relationships between couples, siblings, or parents and children. The chapter particularly highlights mother-child relationships and presents graves of pregnant women and graves of women and children buried together, in order to understand how such individuals were treated by their societies in death. Ages and age gaps between co-buried individuals reveal the most likely ages for life-transitions such as first motherhood and the addition of new family members. The analysis compares evidence from two different, but contemporary cultural groups (Únětice and Unterwölbing) to shed light on prehistoric gender relations, family structures and social organisation through the lens of the burial record.

Post-medieval burial customs in Germany – an archaeological perspective on materiality and spatiality

ABSTRACTPeople generally behave conservatively when dealing with their deceased as very few alterations in the funerary customs are detectable over centuries or even millennia. There were certain periods, however, when this was different and more rapid and radical changes occurred. There is, for example, a marked changeover in mortuary practices in central Europe during the transition from the Middle Ages to the early modern era following the years around 1500. Another major shift becomes visible in the 18th and 19th centuries. This paper serves as an overview concerning the archaeological research on the changing burial customs from the high medieval period until the early 20th century in Germany. Only a few excursions across the modern state borders into the wider German-speaking area are made. The main focus lies on the later post-medieval times with a special emphasis on the different beliefs in Catholic and Protestant areas and their archaeological manifestation. Of course, explanations for the discovered changes will also be suggested. Graves were used as a means of symbolic communication between this world and the hereafter. Therefore changes in burial custom – such as the location of the cemeteries, the location of the individual graves, and their furnishing with graves goods – always express changes in living culture as well.