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Proof of Life: Mark-Making Practices on the Island of Alderney

STURDY COLLS, Caroline, BOLTON-KING, Rachel, COLLS, Kevin, Weston, Czelsie and HARRIS, Tim (2018) Proof of Life: Mark-Making Practices on the Island of Alderney. European Journal of Archaeology, 22 (2). pp. 232-254. ISSN 1461-9571

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Abstract or description

Currently, mark-making practices as a form of identification and proof of life are an unrealized resource. Over a three-year period, systematic walkover surveys were conducted on and within fortifications and other structures on the island of Alderney to locate historic and modern marks. The investigations presented in this article demonstrate the importance of non-invasive recording and examination of marks to identify evidence connected to forced and slave labourers, and soldiers present on the island of Alderney during the German occupation in World War II. Names, hand and footwear impressions, slogans, artworks, dates, and counting mechanisms were recorded electronically and investigated by using international databases, archives, and translation services. We discuss the value and challenges of interpreting traces of human life in the contexts of conflict archaeology and missing person investigations and underline the need for greater recognition of marks as evidence of past lives.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: conflict archaeology, forced labour, mark-making, World War II, identification
Faculty: School of Creative Arts and Engineering > Humanities and Performing Arts
Depositing User: Kevin COLLS
Date Deposited: 08 Nov 2018 15:49
Last Modified: 24 Feb 2023 13:52
Related URLs:
URI: https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/id/eprint/4869

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