Mass burials of the Holocaust

Abstract

During the Holocaust, an estimated six million Jews as well as other groups, were killed and disposed of in mass graves. While archaeological investigations have been done at Holocaust sites, none of them have included a formal excavation of a mass grave. This study focuses on the four death camps of Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka and what is known about each, both historically and archaeologically. The purpose of this study is to look at what is already known about the mass burials of the Holocaust and to then look at what else can be learned or better understood from them to create a theoretical excavation plan. The conclusions of this study will consider how to best approach an excavation of this kind as well as to determine whether or not such an excavation should even be done.