Utilizing Artifacts Associated with Unknown Individuals from Herzegovina to Assess Their Status as German World War II Military Combatants
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12460905 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katharine E Kolpan (0000-0002-8454-2469, University of Idaho, corresponding author), Zoe Rafter (University of Idaho), Sophie Streiff (University of Idaho) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 788-823 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Historical Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1092-7697 • E-ISSN: 1573-7748 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10761-025-00784-8 |
| OpenAlex | W4408707521 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
Unidentified, commingled remains from mass grave contexts make human skeletal identification difficult, particularly in regions where there have been multiple, distinct conflicts, the excavation and retrieval of remains has been delayed, and/or graves contain both combatants and civilians. Identification is further complicated when information about the excavation and recovery of human remains is unavailable. In mass grave contexts, artifacts associated with the burials of unknown individuals can link them to a particular conflict, indicate whether they were civilians or soldiers, provide information about their specific military unit, and may also include personal effects that can be used for individual identification. This analysis examines artifacts associated with the remains of individuals recovered from Herzegovina, Bosnia to suggest they are Axis-affiliated World War II soldiers. During the war, modern Herzegovina, Bosnia was partitioned into distinct German and Italian zones as well as the Nazi-controlled, Ustaše-led, Independent State of Croatia, complicating repatriation efforts. Artifact analysis of certain objects associated with these unidentified individuals indicates these men were members of the German rather than the Italian army
Ancient history · Archaeology · First world war · German · Political science · World War II · Archaeological Research and Protection · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History
Austria in World War II
War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945
Terror in the Balkans
To Know Where He Lies
Soldiers Mistakenly Reported Killed in Action
The Erkennungsmarke
The question of Fascist Italy's war crimes
Geochemical insight during archaeological geophysical exploration through in situ X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry
With the Devil in Titoland
The archaeology of contemporary mass graves
Archaeologies of the Contemporary Past
After Modernity
Rivalry between Germany and Italy in Croatia, 1942–1943
Unrecovered objects
The scientific and affective identification of Republican civilian victims from the Spanish Civil War
Clockpunk Anthropology and the Ruins of Modernity
Time to Destroy
| Highly cited | No |
|---|