Archaeology of the Holocaust

The archaeology of the Holocaust is the study of material remains linked to the Holocaust. This research was initiated at Nazi extermination camps in Central Europe, but has since been applied across Europe in locations linked to Nazi atrocities and war crimes, as well as in locations where Jewish life and culture was affected during World War II.

Development
Study of the Holocaust is particular within archaeology as it covers an event of the modern period, and began when persons with direct experience of the events studied were still alive. Although Nazi extermination camps were captured and liberated by the Soviet Red Army in 1943-1945 on the Eastern Front of World War II, the full extent of the Holocaust was obscured by attempts to hide and disguise evidence of mass murder.

Judicial investigations linked to the trials for crimes against humanity of Nazis and collaborators studied material evidence of the Holocaust in the 1940s. However these were not performed using archaeological methods and techniques. While some sites linked to the Holocaust and Nazi war crimes have been designated memorials or museums, Caroline Sturdy Colls estimated in 2011 that "the majority [of sites of the Holocaust] have not been examined archaeologically".

In the late 1980s, archaeological methods were applied at the site of the Chelmno extermination camp by museum curator Pawlicka-Nowak. These studies identified previously unknown human remains of victims which were not cremated during the camp's destruction. These findings led to similar research being performed at other extermination and concentration camps starting in the 1990s, as well as the archaeological study of sites related to Jewish life and culture during World War II.

Specificities
Study of the Holocaust presents uncommon challenges in archaeology as a recent event with significant historical and judicial record. The erection of memorials or museums without prior archaeological preservation efforts, as well as religious customs, may restrict access to sites of interest and techniques which are considered appropriate to use.

Non-invasive archaeological tools and techniques based on geophysical imaging such as ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography are commonly used to overcome these challenges.