Battlefield, Barracks, or Hospital? A Bioarchaeological Investigation of a Mass Grave at the Jičín Observatory, Czech Republic

Quade, Leslie; Sevillano, Laia; Gaudio, Daniel

Abstract

In 2016, a rescue excavation at the Jičín Natural Sciences Centre and Observatory uncovered a mass grave containing multiple commingled individuals buried in several layers. Zinc buttons and clothing remnants possibly related to eighteenth–nineteenth-century military uniforms found in the grave suggest that these individuals were soldiers. During this period, the Jičín region experienced numerous battles and was the location of several military barracks, hospitals, and transport routes, in addition to supporting civilian populations. To contextualize this burial site, bioarchaeological analyses including assessments of age-at-death, sex, and stature, and recording the presence of injury or medical intervention were conducted. A high frequency of young adult males suggests that the grave was related to military activity. The presence of infants, limited evidence of perimortem trauma, and absence of signs of medical treatment could indicate that this mass grave was related to military encampments rather than battlefield contexts.

Citation

Quade, L., Sevillano, L., & Gaudio, D. (2023). Battlefield, Barracks, or Hospital? A Bioarchaeological Investigation of a Mass Grave at the Jičín Observatory, Czech Republic. European Journal of Archaeology, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2023.36

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 29, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 6, 2023
• Publication Date: Nov 6, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 17, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 17, 2024
• Journal: European Journal of Archaeology
• Print ISSN: 1461-9571
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-2722
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-20
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2023.36
• Keywords: Archeology; Archeology
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2149424