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Forensic archaeology as a scientific discipline is already well-established in Western Europe and the United States. In
Central Europe, this development is slower, primarily due to historical conditions. Forensic archaeology is mostly defined as the use of archaeological methods and principles within a legal context. A much simpler, yet very true, definition of forensic archaeology is that forensic archaeology....is archaeology at the scene of a crime. The leading activity of forensic archaeology is the participation of archaeologists in the search for and exhumation of victims of war crimes and genocide. Unfortunately, as we know, this is a global phenomenon, one we are still witnessing. We remember the crimes of World War II, but we should also recall the exhumations in Srebrenica (1995) and Rwanda (1994). War crimes were also committed during Russia's aggression against Ukraine (Bucza 2022). In Central European countries (e.g., Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic), archaeologists are involved in searches for victims of communist and Nazi crimes. This work is conducted not only on the sites of former extermination camps but also at existing cemeteries and extermination sites indicated by witnesses. According to international law, these crimes are not subject to a statute of limitations. In this field, archaeologists cooperate with many humanitarian organizations (among others). In some countries, e.g. in Poland, there are separate institutions that deal with the search for victims of totalitarianism, where archaeologists are employed.( Institute of National Remembrance). Another activity of forensic archaeology is the participation of archaeologists in forensic aviation archaeology. These investigations may involve contemporary crashes or the discovery of aircraft wreckage, for example, from World War II, along with fallen soldiers. Forensic archaeologists commonly collaborate with law enforcement agencies in the search for missing persons, especially in cases involving so-called criminal disappearances. The primary goal in these cases is to locate bodies hidden by the perpetrator. Since forensic archaeology is an archaeologist at the crime scene, it's important to mention the global phenomenon of crime against cultural heritage. The destruction and plunder of archaeological sites and illegal searches are unfortunately a reality. In police and prosecutorial operations, archaeologists serve as court experts to support the fight against such crimes. This includes not only field examinations and uncovering traces of criminal activity, but also assisting in determining the authenticity of artifacts and their provenance. Forensic archaeology relies on direct collaboration with law enforcement agencies as part of an ongoing investigation. Therefore, it is not a typical archaeological study. Elements of archaeological methodology—both the methodology and the use of specific field methods—are increasingly being incorporated into police operations, especially during crime scene examinations. Forensic archaeology is used in crime cases; for this reason, it is sometimes associated with the archaeology of totalitarian regimes and the archaeology of armed conflicts. Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (14.01.2026)
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T. Pollard, I. Banks (edit.) Schared Earth.Studies in the Archaeology of Conflict, Leiden-Boston 2008. J. Hunter, Ch. Roberts, A. Martin, Studies in Crime: An Introduction to Forensic Archaeology, London-New York 1996 M. Cox, A. Flavel, I. Hanson, J. Laver, R. Wessling, The Scientific Investigation of Mass Graves. Towards protocols and standard operating procedure, Cambridge 2008 W. J. Mike Groen, Nicholas M’arquez-Grant, Robert C Janaway (edit.) Forensic archaeology : a global perspective / red. Chichester : Wiley-Blackwell, 2015 M. Trzciński, Prospects for the Development of Forensic Archaeology in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe /w:/ P.M. Barone, W.J. Mike Groen (red.)Forensic Archaeology and New Multidisciplinary Approaches Topics Discussed During the 2018-2023 European Meetings on Forensic Archaeology (EMFA),Springer 2025,s.29-44 DOI: HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-86308-0_3" 10.1007/978-3-031-86308-0_3 T. Borkowski, F. Constantino , A. Novo, J. Frattarelli, M. TrzcińskiA Controlled Experiment to Test the Efficacy of Ground-Penetrating Radar in the Search for Clandestine Burials in Poland Forensic Sciences, 2022, 2, s. 585-600 HYPERLINK "https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6756/2/3/43/htm" DOI:10.3390/forensicsci2030043 T. Borkowski , M. TrzcińskiInterrogating the ground : an archaeologist at a crime scene W: Multidisciplinary approaches to forensic archaeology : topics discussed during the European Meetings on Forensic Archaeology (EMFA) / edit. Pier Matteo Barone, W. J. Mike Groen Cham : Springer, 2018, s. 155-164 (Soil Forensics) ISBN 978-3-319-94396-1 HYPERLINK "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-319-94397-8.pdf#page=163" 10.1007/978-3-319-94397-8_10 M. Trzciński ,Archeologia totalitaryzmów : możliwości i perspektywy badawcze Studia nad Autorytaryzmem i Totalitaryzmem, 2022, 44, 3, s. 17-30 HYPERLINK "http://dx.doi.org/10.19195/2300-7249.44.3.2" 10.19195/2300-7249.44.3.2 A. Kamola, S. Różycki, P. Bylina, P. Lewandowski, A. BurakowskiForgotten Nazi Forced Labour Camps: Arbeitslager Riese (Lower Silesia, SE Poland) and the Use of Archival Aerial Photography and Contemporary LiDAR and Ground Truth Data to Identify and Delineate Camp Areas /in:/ Remote Sens. 2020, 12(11), 1802; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12111802 P. Vařeka (edit.) Pozůstatky táborů nacistické a komunistické totality v západních Čechách , Plzeň 2 Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (14.01.2026)
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1) Forensic archaeology as a scientific discipline (subject and scope of research) 2) Collaboration between forensic archaeologists and law enforcement agencies and the justice system 3) Archaeologists at crime scenes - war crimes, genocide crimes, communist crimes (case study) 4) Methods of searching for hidden bodies 5) Crime against cultural heritage (combating and preventing) 6) Prospects for cooperation between forensic archaeologists in Europe
Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (14.01.2026)
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