Douglas D. Scott

The archaeology of contemporary mass graves

The excavation of mass graves provides information and documentation for both human rights work and for forensic medico-legal investigations. Medico-legal documentation for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is a major reason for recent excavation of large mass graves in these countries. The mass grave excavations have been among the largest since World War II. The investigative teams incorporated professional archaeologists sensitized to medico-legal realities, to the realm of decomposed fleshed remains, and who exhibited flexibility in adapting techniques to the forensic context. This paper examines the forensic context of these excavations, the techniques the team developed, and presents a case study from Rwanda.

Metal detector use in archaeology: An introduction

Metal detectors are simple, effective, and inexpensive remote sensing tools with real value to archaeologists. The archaeologists is presented an overview of how to use a metal detector and outlines the physical principles that govern metal detectors and their limits. Examples of the use of detectors in inventory, testing, and excavation are drawn from the literature and from the authors’ experience.

The post-civil war Battlefield Pattern: An example from the Custer Battlefield

Battlefield Pattern analyses define the spatial and temporal aspects of a battle. The pattern is made up of individual and unit behaviors. Battlefield Pattern analyses test hypotheses regarding the progress of a battle. Gross patterns are defined as the spatial aspect of behavior. Dynamic patterns are defined as analytical techniques that can identify participant movement. Recent historical archaeological investigations at Custer Battlefield National Monument illustrate this process. Battlefield Pattern analyses provide an initial step in defining the archaeological aspect of warfare within broader anthropological contexts.

Firearms identification in support of identifying a mass execution at El Mozote, El Salvador

The Civil War in El Salvador was very violent. One particularly violent episode involved the destruction of the village of El Mozote and the killing of hundreds of inhabitants by government troops. Forensic investigation of one building, containing the remains of the village’s children, coupled with archaeological application of firearms identification processes demonstrated the victims were executed and not killed as the result of combat action as claimed by the government.

Oral Tradition and Archaeology: Conflict and Concordance Examples from Two Indian War Sites

The Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the 1877 Nez Perce War, Battle of the Big Hole, abound in oral tradition and historical sources. Archaeological investigations at both sites have yielded substantial numbers of battle-related artifacts. The physical evidence supports and modifies the historical record in both cases. The Big Hole battle’s oral traditions were substantiated by the archaeological work as well. However, the Sand Creek Massacre’s oral tradition of the site location is in direct conflict with reanalysis of the historic documents and the archaeological findings. The two cases are contrasted to vividly point out how groups accept or reject evidence gathered using the scientific method when it either agrees or disagrees with their preconceived notions of cultural truth.

Uncapped Potential: Applying Firearms Identification Procedures in the Analysis of Percussion Caps

Firearms identification procedures continue to play a role in the archaeological study of battles and warfare. Percussion caps, if well preserved, have the potential to yield unique individual tool marks that can be microscopically examined to determine a minimum number of weapons present at a specific site. This study analyzed 110 percussion caps from an 1854 U.S. Army and Apache battle site and determined that at least 34 firearms were used in the battle. A validation study using modern percussion caps from 11 known weapons was also undertaken to demonstrate the potential for percussion cap analysis in future studies.

NAGPRA and Historical Research: Reevaluation of a Multiple Burial from Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico

An inadvertent discovery of a mass burial dating to April 1862 at Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico, uncovered four sets of human remains. In the authors’ opinion, at least one set has likely been inappropriately repatriated to the Jicarilla Apache and Ute Mountain Ute tribes during a Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) process. We review the historical record and suggest an interpretation for the deaths that is alternative to that offered by a cultural affiliation study. We suggest that use of professional historical archaeologists and historians might have avoided what we believe was an inappropriate repatriation of an Hispanic New Mexico Volunteer under NAGPRA.

Site significance and historical archaeology—A scenario and commentary

Site significance is an issue that faces most archaeologists, often on a daily basis. The papers presented offer different means to assess site significance. Comments are offered on the papers and the different assessment approaches.