Abstract
The opening chapter considers the value of archaeological approaches to sites of the Holocaust and discusses why a unique approach to the investigation of this period is required. Key themes of the book are introduced including: ethical issues and the ways in which archaeologists can address this period sensitively, the value of non-invasive approaches and the use of archaeological data in heritage and education. The complex body of evidence pertaining to the Holocaust is introduced as is the concept of Holocaust archaeologies. In summary, this chapter introduces the unique interdisciplinary methodology that will be presented in later chapters and highlights how archaeology can uniquely complement and challenge histories of this period. This acts as the platform for the chapters which follow.
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- 1.
The exact number of people killed during the Holocaust remains unknown. Some scholars have suggested a figure of around 11 million. Of these, it is estimated that approximately six million Jews were killed but the number of Roma, Sinti, disabled people, political prisoners and others killed cannot be estimated with complete certainly.
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Sturdy Colls, C. (2015). Introduction. In: Holocaust Archaeologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10641-0_1
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