User:Mallorypjohnson/sandbox

Week 3 - Article Evaluation
For week 3, I am evaluating Body Identification.

This article is a part of the Wiki Project Death which is trying to improve death-related articles on Wikipedia. Additionally, it is considered a stub article on Wikipedia in both the categories of death articles and forensic articles. Since it is a stub, there is a lot of information that could be expanded upon. The two main sections in the article are titled "Introduction" and "Military". The other sections are "See also", "References" and "External links."

The introduction is comprised of four short paragraphs. At the end of the first paragraph, there is a long run-on sentence that can be difficult to read. It may be beneficial to make this sentence a few sentences and expand upon each point. For example, it could be reworded by defining the term “forensic” and then explaining the general chronological flow of forensic methods. These methods should then be explained in detail outside of the introduction and under its own heading. By doing this, the rest of the introduction would be shortened. Instead of explaining decomposition and photo identification in the introduction, it could be better detailed in its own section.

The other section that exists is titled “Military.” This section exhibits a neutral point of view but over-represents the United States. No other branch of military within another country is mentioned. This would be a great place to add smaller headings to list what each country does with unidentified bodies. If countries have similar processes, the headings could reflect what is done rather than each country.

The third section is “See also” which is helpful but appears so early in the article due to the lack of information.

The next section are the references. All of the links work and are properly cited within the article. However, two sources are questionable to use under Wikipedia’s standards. The first source, “Burnt beyond recognition” links to a Wordpress blog. According to the article’s talk page, it was added in November 2016 by a fellow Wikipedian. The second questionable link is “Death investigation – The Graveyard Shift” and is also a blog. Neither of these blogs should be considered a trusted source, and the potential bias is not noted.

The last section of the article is the external links. The links all work and appear to be valid sources by Wikipedia standards. However, they mention an array of information that was not written in the article. DVI (disaster victim identification) and forensic odontology and dentistry are both thoroughly explained in the external links, but barely mentioned in the article, if at all. This is a huge lack of information and a great place to expand upon the information in the article.

Week 4 - Mass Graves
The Wikipedia page on Mass Graves is substantially lacking information. A great way to improve this article would be to include international examples of mass graves, beyond just the history section. Additionally, there is a new field on identifying the remains within the grave based on genetics. Religiously, it would be beneficial to include the religious implications of being buried in a mass grave. This could be sub-sectioned into religions.

Excavations - Archaeology & Forensics
Paper from 2001. Examines the forensic components of mass grave identifications while examining a case study from Rwanda.

- Identifies the spectrum of mass graves from adjacent bodies to touching bodies.

What was added to the mass grave for the Week 4 assignment:

Mass graves exist on a spectrum ranging from bodies touching one another to bodies laid out adjacently without touching.

International Examples
-Research well-known mass graves

-Split up into subtitles by grave

Religious Implications
-Identify major religions' burial customs - do they have an individuality clause?

-Split up into subtitles by religious denomination

Comments
Great work for this week. I think that you will have plenty to work with on mass graves. Make sure that you include some kind of religious information on the topic, as you outlined in the end here. Also, for your citation, make sure that you activate the link to the JSTOR article. The citation is perfect, but it could use a link. Alfgarciamora (talk) 16:01, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Radar Search (Geoforensics)

 * There have been several developments over the past 80 years to detect unmarked graves using ground penetrating radar (GPR).
 * Note : Try again later to read the full text - see if database is available to UM.
 * GPR works using radar waves which are able to scan the ground and 3D map what lies underneath.
 * GPR is the preferred method rather than excavation.

Cause of Unmarked Grave

 * Was never marked, or gravestone has been decayed, destroyed or removed.
 * Can further investigate reasons for not marking. The article lists celebrities and people in power. Is there a religion that doesn't emphasis grave marking either in the present or in antiquity?

Religious Implications

 * Mapoon people/elders have exhibited extreme emotional distress over the resting place of their ancestors. The unmarked graves in which they lie are of "high cultural sensitivity."
 * Mortuary practices of Mapoon people based on factors such as age, gender and descendants.
 * Follow up : Cultural practice or religious?
 * Native American practices
 * Check Richter for books

Excavations - Forensics

 * Can relate back to unmarked graves - same sources

International Examples

 * Rwanda case study of mass grave identifications.
 * Iraq (https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/LPS48242/iraq_mass_graves.pdf CITE THIS FORMALLY)
 * 270 mass graves had been reported in (month) 2004 since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003.
 * Mass killings that cause mass graves
 * Could relate this and war to religion briefly but seems like a slippery slope

Religious Implications
Judaism Christianity/Islam/Buddhism
 * Within Judaism, it is important and viewed as valuable to be buried in a Jewish cemetery.
 * The corpse is never unattended in the time between death and burial. Rather it is looked over to preserve dignity.
 * From 16th-18th centuries, the burial society or hevra qaddisha emerged.
 * Could further research mass graves related to The Holocaust
 * Might get messy but would be an example pertinent to the belief system being broken.
 * Family tombs were practiced in Second Temple Judaism.
 * Investigate more - potentially relate to international examples (Ireland)

Coup de Grâce

 * Not a lot of info? Mostly poems??
 * Religiously - investigate suicide/murder but likely won't be a lot of information

Comments
Week 5 Excellent work here, Mallory. You have a wonderful assortment of articles to consider to improve these pages. I suggest that the first two are the best: unmarked graves and mass graves. Definitely a lot to write about vis-a-vis these topics. Would you consider researching both at the same time? There could be substantial overlap in the literature. Alfgarciamora (talk) 22:46, 26 February 2018 (UTC)

Week 6 - Finalize Article and Begin Draft
I have decided to work on both Unmarked Graves and Mass Graves for my assigned articles. As mentioned in the above comment, there is much overlap in research and I am interested in both topics. Below I have outlined content gaps in each article and what I plan to add to fix it.

Cause of Unmarked Grave
The causes/reasons for unmarked grave are not clearly explained.
 * Improvement - add a sentence listing the causes in the lead section. Potentially, add "causes" as a subheading depending on the depth of research. Most importantly - take out the subheading "Metaphorical Meaning." Move the Criminals tab under "Metaphorical Meaning" to be under "Other Reasons" and rename "Other Reasons" to "Reasons for Unmarked Grave." This new title should appear early in the article, potentially as the first subheading.
 * Known causes so far (from current article) - criminals, disease, war, financial limitations, historically social status, and modern celebrities who seek privacy and avoidance of vandalism.
 * Make each one a sub-sub heading depending on the depth of information found. Potentially combine headings, such as "Social Status and Financial Limitations" as these two topics will likely have much overlap.
 * For disease and war - a lot of information will cross over into Mass grave research

Radar Search and Geoforensics
There is no statement or explanation about how unmarked graves are found.
 * Improvement - add a brief explanation to the lead section of the article then add the detection as the second subheading within the article.

Religious Implications
Judaism is the only religion that is briefly touched upon. Make "Religious Implications" the third sub heading which each religion a sub-sub heading.
 * Improvement - Expand upon Judaism. See Week 5 research.
 * Improvement - Add Christianity and more religions (not just Abrahamic) if possible.

There is probably good stuff in the reading that we had for this week on the cemetery in Philadelphia, but I wonder if there is a lot of work on unmarked graves and religion? Alfgarciamora (talk) 22:26, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

Popular Culture
The current article has a sub-heading for Popular Culture. This section only mentions that there are movies, plays, books, etc. which mention "unmarked grave." There are no concrete examples.
 * Improvement - Find examples and mention in paragraph form. Subheadings of examples seems excessive. One paragraph should do. Potential to link to the works in which it is mentioned.

History
The current article has a History subheading. This can be expanded upon greatly.
 * Improvement - Move a 1-2 sentence summary of history into the lead section. Since there is so much history, it may be better to have separate sections than each section be under the umbrella of history.

Causes of Mass Graves
The cause of mass graves and examples are not clearly laid out. As of now in the research, the reasons for mass graves can be categorized into the following sub-headings: Disease, War, Famine, Natural Disaster and Other Causes (mining disaster as mentioned in the article).
 * Improvement - Add the Sub-heading of "Causes" and each cause as a sub-sub heading. Under each cause, briefly explain what it is and provide supporting examples.

Excavations
There is no mention of excavations and the finding of graves within the article.
 * Improvement - Add a subheading for the finding and excavation of mass graves. This can explain geoforensics and relate back to unmarked graves. Additionally, further research will need to be done to determine the forensic osteopathy.

Religious implications
There is no mention of religious burial practices within the article. What are the beliefs and practices of each religion? What does it mean to be buried in a mass grave (Think - Judiasm cleanliness)?
 * Improvement - further research each religion and how mass graves fit/don't fit within their beliefs and burial practices. Give each religion, and Native American practice with substantial information its own sub-sub heading.

Research
Refer to Week 5 and expand upon for both Unmarked Graves and Mass Graves because of content overlap. Definitely a need for more sources and to check the current sources within each article.

Comments Week 6
A solid start for identifying gaps, but I was hoping for more citations and research to help you expand what you were hoping to fill in beyond what you found in week 5. It will be hard to fully know what gaps can be filled without seeing what the literature has. But I think you're on a good start and that you will be able to provide a lot of content for the Wikipedia community. Alfgarciamora (talk) 22:29, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

Week 7 - Additional Research
=== Necropolitics: Mass Graves and Exhumations in the Age of Human Rights ===

Practice of Exhumation (Chile/Argentina)

 * 15 bodies were discovered in 1979 in Chile at an "abandoned limestone quarry" in Lonquen, Chile (56)
 * Anonymous graves marked with "N.N." cross (65-66)
 * More examples of Chilean mass graves - details the media's outrage in the late 70's (66)
 * The Memorial of the Detained-Disappeared and Political Victims erected in 1994 (68)
 * 2003 - attempt at body identification (68)
 * April 2006 - 48/96 bodies misidentified, January 2014 - 53/124 exhumed bodies identified (69)

Korean War Mass Graves

 * Cemetery on Jeju Island which consists of unmarked graves and a granite memorial is called "Graves of One Hundred Ancestors and One Descendant" (76)
 * Name is opposite of how the genealogy should be - one ancestor and many descendants (77)
 * Cemetery consists solely of Korean War casualities (77)
 * After the war in 1953, mass gravesites were forbidden places so as to not allow family members to recover and identify bodies (80)
 * Bodies were considered traitors and the act of touching or even properly burying them would constitute as treason (80)
 * Families still secretly retrieved bodies (80)
 * 1956 - bereaved families and villagers exhumed the decomposed bodies, keeping human skeletal shape of each one. They prepared 132 graves and buried each exhumed skeleton in its own "nameless grave." One grave stone was erected which later caused political dispute (80)
 * Committee for the Investigation of Civilian Massacres Before and During the Korean War (84)

Spanish Civil War, Greek Civil War, Peru, Cambodia and Rwanda

 * Read through these chapters later - determine if necessary or over-information
 * Any religious relation??

=== Human Remains and Mass Violence: Methodological Approaches ===

Khmer Rouge Genocide (Cambodia)

 * "snam preah" - 'mark of the sacred one' or bodily scar - Buddhism (147)
 * 1980's - Certain Buddhist monks were allowed to preform rituals which transformed the anonymous genocide bodies into "'spirits of the departed'" (153)
 * taboo-ish bc Buddhism wasn't entirely tolerated yet
 * 1990's - religious ceremonies were re-established, like Festival of the Dead (153)
 * Buddhist "post-mortem trajectory" is not dependent on how a person died but rather their links to the living (153)
 * Ancestor cult (153)
 * Khmer village views the mass graves as the bodies becoming one with the earth (154)
 * One village custom of burial for several years then exhuming the remains and cremating them - known as a double funeral (154)
 * Villagers believe the mass graves posses the tutelary spirits (156)

Rwandan Genocide

 * Read through later - connect to necropolitics and previously cited paper

=== The Archaeology of Death and Burial ===

=== After Mass Crime: Rebuilding States and Communities ===

=== R.I.P. The Complete Book of Death and Dying ===

=== Muhammad's Grave ===

Peer Review
I think the research you've done thus far and the sources you have are great for both Mass Graves and Unmarked Graves, especially since both pages appear to be lacking in information. I saw you had both selected under your name so I'll comment on both. I like the sources you have lined up for Mass Graves. I think that any research concerning religious sentiments on mass graves would be really interesting to mention if there has been any research on it. I think that the addition of the subheading for causes of mass graves will really add to the article. Perhaps you could clean up the already existing history section and provide somewhat of a timeline for the occurrences of mass graves and what their current use and rate of occurrence is. Other than those couple of items, I think you have really good information and a great projected set up for the page.

For the Unmarked Graves article, I think you have a great outline as well. I think it's important to add the causes of unmarked graves and potential religious implications or stereotypes/stigmas of having unmarked graves. I also don't know much about radar search and geoforensics so that would be interesting to add more information on. Overall, I think you are off to a great start and with continued additions to the page(s) and research I think these two articles will be great! Hope this was of some use/help! Mayhem03 (talk) 18:46, 18 March 2018 (UTC)


 * Thank you so much for your feedback!I never thought to consider researching religious sentiments on the graves, but I'm sure there are some. I'll look into it! Also, for unmarked graves, I want to add a lot on geoforensics. I agree that it's interesting and will add greatly to the article. Thanks again and good luck with your article! maljohns (talk) 19:16, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

I am thoroughly impressed with the scope of research you have done for your two articles! Focusing on the Mass Graves article, I fixed a few typos in there when reading through it btw!

For the intro to Mass Graves, I think you should include war, & crime in the sentence "Although mass graves can be used during major conflicts (such as war or crime)", just so your biggest subheadings don't just come out of nowhere in the context of the article. Also, since you take the time to hyperlink and list that famines, epidemics, etc. are modern uses for mass graves, I think you should maybe have a sub-section for that specifically. You have done a great job drawing the connections between the diseases/medical epidemics that can arise after a major conflict, but is there any information on a specific outbreak that has called for a mass grave to be employed?

I think you can definitely get rid of the history title, but I would instead alter it to be Religion/Cultural Implications or something of that sort. Do some cultures LIKE mass graves? When did we find the first mass grave/give some context to the great images already in the article? I think these questions will also be able to help you with the Unmarked Grave article, and tying it back to religion, since that is an enormous cultural driving force.

When it comes to the "See Also" section, I understand what the original author was trying to do, but personally I believe that including hyperlinks in your article almost eliminate the need to have that section. However, if you do not have the capacity to expand that section, maybe rename it "Notable Mass Graves" ? That could be a good way to go around the need to delete those connections, but also allow your page to serve as the initial stepping stone for someone who is trying to compile a list of mass graves. Hope this helps! Lauramt1023 (talk) 01:02, 19 March 2018 (UTC)


 * Thanks for fixing my typos! Sometimes I think I read it over too much and it becomes easy to miss little mistakes. I definitely plan to add a little line about war and crimes so that the reader isn't blindsided by the headings as well as rename the "See Also" section to what you suggested. Lastly, the sentence on famines, epidemics, etc. was in there from the existing article. I might try to keep it depending on what I find in my research but I haven't decided yet. Thanks again for taking the time to read my draft. Good luck with your article! maljohns (talk) 19:16, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

Week 8 - Peer Review
Hello Peer Reviewers! First off, thanks for taking the time to read over my first draft and I look forward to reading your comments. Most of it comes from one or two sources, which I plan to fix in later versions. The numbers in parentheses refer to page numbers, which I plan to fix later. For the Wikipedia project, I have chosen to edit the articles of mass graves and unmarked graves. I decided to make mass graves my primary article as it has the most information (that also has religious relevancy) from what I found in my research. However, as I research it more, I plan to add relevant information to the unmarked graves page. Below I have copied the current article on mass graves and have underlined the information I plan to add. Information I plan to remove has been crossed out. I also moved some information within the sections to different sections but have not denoted that. I hope its not too confusing to read. Thanks!

To Be Peer Reviewed - Mass Graves
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. Mass graves may exist on a spectrum ranging from with  bodies within the touching one another to bodies laid out adjacently without touching. Mass graves are usually created after a large number of people die or are killed, and there is a desire to bury the corpses quickly for sanitation concerns. Although mass graves can be used during major conflicts, in modern times they are more usually may be used seen after events such as a major famine, epidemic, or natural disaster. In disasters, mass graves are used for infection and disease control. In such cases, there is often a breakdown of the social infrastructure that would enable proper identification and disposal of individual bodies.

Korean War
Approximately one to two hundred thousand civilians were killed at the start of the Korean War. These people were flagged by the government of South Korea for potentially collaborating with or sympathizing with North Korea. They were arrested and subsequently executed without trial.(79) The sites where the massacres occurred were forbidden to the public. The bodies were considered to be traitors and the act of associating with them was considered treasonous.(79) Despite this, families retrieved bodies from the shallow forbidden mass graves at the massacre sites. In 1956, bereaved families and villagers exhumed over one hundred decomposed and unidentifiable bodies, ensuring that the complete human skeleton was intact.(80) Each exhumed body was buried in its own "nameless grave" in a cemetery on Jeju Island. The granite memorial within the cemetery bears the cemetery's local name, "Graves of One Hundred Ancestors and One Descendant." (76) This nickname functions to express the opposite of how the genealogy should be as typically many descendants derive from one ancestor.(77)

Chile's 1973 Coup D'état
The Chilean military coup against President Salvador Allende occurred on September 11, 1973. The military surrounded the town of Santiago and searched for people hiding in potential guerilla insurgent locations. Civilians were detained for long periods of time and some disappeared.(53) Following the coup, bodies were abundant in the streets and in the Mapocho River. It is estimated that thirty two hundred people were executed or disappeared between 1973 and 1990 in Chile. Higher estimates are up to forty five hundred people(65) These bodies were taken to morgues to be identified and claimed. Unidentified bodies were buried in marked mass graves.(65)

From this conflict, several hidden mass graves have been identified. In December 1978, fifteen bodies were discovered in an abandoned limestone mine in Lonquén. In October 1979, nineteen bodies were exhumed after being secretly buried at the cemetery of Yumbel. (65) Mass graves were also identified in Santiago's General Cemetery with multiple bodies being forced into a single coffin. This cemetery had an influx of over three hundred bodies within a three month time span. These mass graves were distinguished by a cross with the initials "NN."(66) "NN" is indicative of the phrase "Nomen Nescio" or "no name." (60) Following extensive media coverage of these mass graves, the Chilean military decided to exhume the bodies from Lonquén, Yumbel, and Santiago's General Cemetery. The military airdropped these bodies over open water or remote mountain locations.(66) BURIAL IMPLICATIONS?

Argentina's 1976 Coup D'état
On March 24, 1976 at 3:21 AM, the media told the people of Argentina that the country was now under the "operational control of the Junta of General Commanders of the Armed Forces." (53) This event and years following it would become known as the 1976 Argentine coup d'état. The presiding president, President María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón, had been taken captive two hours prior to the media announcement. The new dictatorship implemented travel bans, public gatherings, and a nighttime curfew, (54) This new dictatorship resulted in widespread violence, leading to executions and casualties.

Abducted captives were disposed of in individual graves corresponding to one of the five defense zones within Argentina they were held. The bodies were typically buried in individual marked anonymous graves. Three mass graves are known to exist on Argentinian police and military premises although other bodies were disposed of through cremation or by being airdropped over the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately fifteen thousand people are estimated to have been assassinated. (61)

Argentina's largest mass grave's exhumation began in March 1984 at the San Vicente Cemetery in Cordoba.The grave was 3.5 meters deep and 25 by 2.5 meters across. It contained approximately four hundred bodies. (62) Of the recovered and exhumed bodies, one hundred and twenty three were of young people violently killed during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. The remaining bodies were identified as older and dying of nonviolent deaths such as leprosy. (62)

On April 23, 1976, 17-year-old Norberto Morresi and 34-year-old Luis María Roberto were caught by First Army Corps. They were distributing the illegal magazine, Evita Montonera. Both were burned in a Chevrolet station wagon. Police took fingerprints of the bodies, but were not able to identify them and as a result the two were buried in a mass grave. They were exhumed and identified in June 1989 by forensic anthropologists. A Roman Catholic funeral took place on July 7, 1989. The joint reburial within a raised tomb bore political significance and several human rights activists were in attendance. The father of Norberto describes visiting his son's tombstone as "like a ritual...it helps spiritually." (63)

Rwanda Genocide

 * Have info from book and paper to add later
 * ADD INFO FROM PAGE 171 TO UNMARKED GRAVE

Khmer Rouge Genocide

 * Have info from two books to add later

HISTORY
I want to get rid of the "History" title. I'm thinking of adding a section on excavations and another on religious implications if there's not obvious religious relevancy, which so far there isn't. Below is the info that is part of the article that I don't know what to do with.

Mass or communal burial was a common practice before the development of a dependable crematory chamber by Ludovico Brunetti in 1873. CITE!

In Paris, the practice of mass burial, and in particular, the condition of the Cimetière des Innocents, led Louis XVI to eliminate Parisian cemeteries. The remains were removed and placed in the Paris underground forming the early Catacombs. Le Cimetière des Innocents alone had 6,000,000 dead to remove. Burial commenced outside the city limits in what is now Père Lachaise Cemetery.

The debate surrounding mass graves amongst epidemiologists includes whether or not, in a natural disaster, to leave corpses for traditional individual burials, or to bury corpses in mass graves. For example, if an epidemic occurs during winter, flies are less likely to infest corpses, reducing the risk of outbreaks of dysentery, diarrhea, diphtheria, or tetanus, so the use of mass graves is less important. Research published in 2004 indicates that the health risks from dead bodies after natural disasters are relatively limited.

The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution. Mass grave mapping teams have located 125 Khmer Rouge prison facilities and corresponding gravesites to date in Cambodia while researching the Killing Fields. Many mass graves were discovered after the Massacre at Huế during the Vietnam War.

To Be Added to Mass Graves
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution. Mass graves are usually created after a large number of people die or are killed, and there is a desire to bury the corpses quickly. Although mass graves can be used during major conflicts such as war and crime, in modern times they may be used after a famine, epidemic, or natural disaster. In disasters, mass graves are used for infection and disease control. In such cases, there is often a breakdown of the social infrastructure that would enable proper identification and disposal of individual bodies.

History
Mass or communal burial was a common practice before the development of a dependable crematory chamber by Ludovico Brunetti in 1873. ''' CITE! '''

In Paris, the practice of mass burial, and in particular, the condition of the Cimetière des Innocents, led Louis XVI to eliminate Parisian cemeteries. The remains were removed and placed underground in Paris, forming the early Catacombs. Le Cimetière des Innocents alone had 6,000,000 dead to remove. Burial commenced outside the city limits in what is now Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Health Concerns
The debate surrounding mass graves amongst epidemiologists includes whether or not, in a natural disaster, to leave corpses for traditional individual burials, or to bury corpses in mass graves. For example, if an epidemic occurs during winter, flies are less likely to infest corpses, reducing the risk of outbreaks of dysentery, diarrhea, diphtheria, or tetanus, which decreases the urgency to use mass graves. Research published in 2004 indicates that the health risks from dead bodies after natural disasters are relatively limited.

Korean War
Approximately one to two hundred thousand civilians were killed at the start of the Korean War. These people were flagged by the government of South Korea for potentially collaborating with or sympathizing with North Korea. They were arrested and subsequently executed without trial. The sites where the massacres occurred were forbidden to the public. The bodies were considered to be traitors and the act of associating with them was considered treasonous. Despite this, families retrieved bodies from the shallow forbidden mass graves at the massacre sites. In 1956, bereaved families and villagers exhumed over one hundred decomposed and unidentifiable bodies, ensuring that the complete human skeleton was intact.(80) Each exhumed body was buried in its own "nameless grave" in a cemetery on Jeju Island. There is a granite memorial within the cemetery which bears the cemetery's local name, "Graves of One Hundred Ancestors and One Descendant." This nickname functions to express the opposite of how the genealogy should be as typically many descendants derive from one ancestor.

Chile's 1973 Coup D'état
The Chilean military coup against President Salvador Allende occurred on September 11, 1973. The military surrounded the town of Santiago and searched for people hiding in potential guerilla insurgent locations. Civilians were detained for long periods of time and some disappeared. Following the coup, bodies were abundant in the streets and in the Mapocho River. It is estimated that thirty two hundred people were executed or disappeared between 1973 and 1990 in Chile. Higher estimates are up to forty five hundred people, These bodies were taken to morgues to be identified and claimed. Unidentified bodies were buried in marked mass graves.

From this conflict, several hidden mass graves have been identified. In December 1978, fifteen bodies were discovered in an abandoned limestone mine in Lonquén. In October 1979, nineteen bodies were exhumed after being secretly buried at the cemetery of Yumbel. Mass graves were also identified in Santiago's General Cemetery with multiple bodies being forced into a single coffin. This cemetery had an influx of over three hundred bodies within a three month time span. These mass graves were distinguished by a cross with the initials "NN."(66) "NN" is indicative of the phrase "Nomen Nescio" or "no name." Following extensive media coverage of these mass graves, the Chilean military decided to exhume the bodies from Lonquén, Yumbel, and Santiago's General Cemetery. The military airdropped the exhumed bodies over open water or remote mountain locations.

Argentina's 1976 Coup D'état
On March 24, 1976 at 3:21 AM, the media told the people of Argentina that the country was now under the "operational control of the Junta of General Commanders of the Armed Forces." This event and years following it became known as the 1976 Argentine coup d'état. The presiding president, President María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón, had been taken captive two hours prior to the media announcement. The new dictatorship implemented travel bans, public gatherings, and a nighttime curfew. Additionally, the new dictatorship resulted in widespread violence, leading to executions and casualties.

Abducted captives were disposed of in one of the five defense zones within Argentina where they were held. The bodies were typically buried in individual marked anonymous graves. Three mass graves are known to exist on Argentinian police and military premises although other bodies were disposed of through cremation or by being airdropped over the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately fifteen thousand people are estimated to have been assassinated.

Argentina's largest mass grave's exhumation began in March 1984 at the San Vicente Cemetery in Cordoba.The grave was 3.5 meters deep and 25 by 2.5 meters across. It contained approximately four hundred bodies. Of the recovered and exhumed bodies, one hundred and twenty three were of young people violently killed during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. The remaining bodies were identified as older and having died nonviolent deaths such as leprosy.

On April 23, 1976, 17-year-old Norberto Morresi and 34-year-old Luis María Roberto were caught by First Army Corps. They were distributing the illegal magazine, Evita Montonera. Both were burned in a Chevrolet station wagon. Police took fingerprints of the bodies, but were not able to identify them and as a result the two were buried in a mass grave. They were exhumed and identified in June 1989 by forensic anthropologists. A Roman Catholic funeral took place on July 7, 1989. The joint reburial within a raised tomb bore political significance and several human rights activists were in attendance. The father of Norberto Morresi describes visiting his son's tombstone as "like a ritual...it helps spiritually."

Vietnam War

 * Sentence in existing article
 * Many mass graves were discovered after the Massacre at Huế during the Vietnam War.

Crime
==== Rwandan Genocide ==== The Rwandan Genocide began after the unsolved death of the Rwandan president, Juvénal Habyarimana. Extremist members of the Hutu government formed an interim wartime government. They called for an extermination of the Tutsi population, Hutu political opponents and Hutu whom resisted the violence. The genocide lasted 100 days and resulted in an estimated 800,000 killings.

Rwandan people sought refuge in gathering places such as churches and stadiums. An estimated 4,000-6,000 people gathered in Kibuye Catholic Church. Around April 17, 1994, the church was surrounded by armed civilians, police and gendarmes. Those inside were attacked with a variety of weapons including guns, grenades, and machetes. Survivors of the attack were sought after and killed in the following days. Burial of these bodies took place in at least four mass graves.

The first mass grave resulting from this attack was discovered behind the church where several bodies were left unburied and scattered. In December 1995, archaeologists surveyed the area and flagged any potential human remains. In January 1996, forensic anthropologists located and exhumed fifty-three skeletal assemblages. A second mass grave was found under a tree marked with wire, indicating a memorial. Below the tree was a trench filled with multiple bodies. The third and fourth mass graves were found using a probe to test for deteriorating remains. The third grave was marked by the local population, similar to the second grave. The fourth grave was identified by a priest.

Throughout the Rwandan genocide, bodies were buried in mass graves, left exposed, or disposed of though rivers. At least 40,000 bodies have been discovered in Lake Victoria which connects to Akagera River.

Khmer Rouge Genocide

 * Have info from two books to add later
 * Sentence in existing articl

Mass grave mapping teams have located 125 Khmer Rouge prison facilities and corresponding gravesites to date in Cambodia while researching the Killing Fields. These mass graves are believed by villagers to possess tutelary spirits and signify the bodies becoming one with the earth. Buddhist rituals were preformed in the 1980's which transformed the anonymous bodies into "spirits of the departed." In the 1990's, religious ceremonies were re-established and the Festival of the Dead was celebrated annually.

Religious Conflicts

 * Breakdown by concentration camp
 * Are there concentration camps beyond the Holocaust?
 * Mittelbau-Dora
 * picture in article but no mention of it

Famine

 * suggested by peer reviewer - flows with lead section

Epidemic

 * suggested by peer reviewer - flows with lead section
 * Bubonic plague pic in article - France 1720-21

Natural Disaster

 * suggested by peer reviewer - flows with lead section

War
==== Vietnam War ==== Many mass graves were discovered after the Massacre at Huế during the Vietnam War. In the fall of 1969, the body count unearthed from these mass graves was around 2,800. The victims buried in these mass graves included government officials, innocent civilians, women and children. They were tortured, executed and in some cases, buried alive.

In Quang Ngai, a mass grave of 10 soldiers was discovered on December 28, 2011. These soldiers were buried alongside their belongings including wallets, backpacks, guns, bullets, mirrors, and combs.

Other larger mass graves of Vietnamese soldiers are believed to exist, with hundreds of soldiers in each grave.

==== Spanish Civil War  ==== There are over 2,000 known mass graves throughout Spain stemming from the Spanish Civil War wherein an estimated 500,000 people died between 1936 and 1939, and approximately 135,000 killed after the war ended. Several exhumations are being conducted from information given in witnesses' and relatives' testimonies to the Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica (ARMH). These testimonies serve the purpose of helping geophysicists, archaeologists and forensic scientists to locate graves in order to identify bodies and allow families to rebury their relatives.

In the summer of 2008, information from these testimonies was used to unearth a 4 meter long square grave containing five skeletons near the town of San Juan del Monte. These five remains are believed to be of people that were kidnapped and killed after the July 18, 1936 military coup.

Another mass grave from the Spanish Civil War was found using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). Eye witness accounts identified two potential locations for an unmarked grave in mountains of Lena in Northern Spain. Both sites were examined and an unmarked mass grave of approximately 1 meter by 5 meters was found.

Religious Conflicts
==== Holocaust ==== The Mittelbau camps held about 60,000 prisoners of The Holocaust between August 1943 and March 1945. Conservative estimates assume that at least 20,000 inmates perished at the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. In early April 1945, an unknown number of prisoners perished in death marches following the evacuation of prisoners from Mittelbau camps to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany.

In April 1945, American soldiers liberated the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. Only a few prisoners were still in the camp and the American soldiers found the remains of approximately 1,300 prisoners in the Boelcke barracks. The names of these prisoners are unknown. Mass graves of the dead prisoners from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp in Nordhausen, Germany were dug by German civilians under orders from American soldiers.

Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was Europe's deadliest religious conflict. In the Battle of Lützen, 47 soldiers perished and were buried in a mass grave. Archaeological and osteological analyses found that the soldiers ranged in age from 15-50 years. Most corpses had evidence of blunt force trauma to the head while seven men had stabbing injuries.

Famine
==== Ireland ==== Ireland's Great Famine lasted from 1845 to 1849, a period wherein about one million people died. Because of the excessive number of deaths and extreme poverty, several families were unable to provide a wake or proper burial for loved ones and used mass graves instead. Archaeological excavations have taken place on Irish mass burial sites. One excavation revealed a mass grave of nearly 1,000 individuals. The skeletons within the grave were layered on top of each other in multiple subrectangular pits positioned less than a meter apart.

Bubonic Plague
The bubonic plague outbreak existed in three pandemic waves and is known as the Black Death. In the 1300s alone, an estimated 20-30 million people were killed in Europe and approximately 12 million people were killed in China. These deaths were at least 30 percent of the European population at that time. The last major outbreak of the bubonic plague occurred in London from 1665-1666 and is known as The Great Plague.

In March 2013, a plague pit of 25 skeletons were found in a 5.5 meter-wide shaft during the construction of a new railroad. The skeletons were neatly lined up in two rows and were about 8 feet underground. Samples from 12 corpses were taken and forensic analysis confirmed traces of DNA from Yersinia pestis.

=== Natural Disaster ===

Brunner Mine Disaster
The Brunner Mine Disaster occurred at 9:30 a.m. on March 26, 1896. An underground explosion caused the death of 65 miners, making it New Zealand's deadliest mining disaster. Of the victims, 53 were buried in Stillwater cemetery, of which 33 were in one mass grave.

==== Tsnuami ====

2010 Haiti Earthquake
Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, thousands of bodies were left in the streets on Port-au-Prince, exposed to the sun and beginning to decompose and smell. The government of Haiti decided to collect the bodies on the street, along with rubble through use of dump trucks. The bodies and rubble were then transported to empty rectangular holes, 20 feet deep, 20 feet wide and 100 feet long. No efforts were taken to identify the dead that were transported and buried.

Within Haitian culture, burial rituals hold great significance and the sacred ceremonies can cost more than the their own homes. There is a Haitian Vodou belief that the dead continue to live and are connected to their ancestors through these rituals. The burial of unidentified corpses in mass graves rather than familial plots severs this spiritual link between the living and dead.