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Analyzing and Interpreting Lime Burials from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939): A Case Study from La Carcavilla Cemetery. 2017

Eline M J Schotsmans, and Almudena García-Rubio, and Howell G M Edwards, and Tasnim Munshi, and Andrew S Wilson, and Luis Ríos
Laboratoire PACEA De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, Bat. B8, Allee Geoffroy St Hilaire, CS 50023, 33615, Pessac Cedex, France.

Over 500 victims of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) were buried in the cemetery of La Carcavilla (Palencia, Spain). White material, observed in several burials, was analyzed with Raman spectroscopy and powder XRD, and confirmed to be lime. Archaeological findings at La Carcavilla's cemetery show that the application of lime was used in an organized way, mostly associated with coffinless interments of victims of Francoist repression. In burials with a lime cast, observations made it possible to draw conclusions regarding the presence of soft tissue at the moment of deposition, the sequence of events, and the presence of clothing and other evidence. This study illustrates the importance of analyzing a burial within the depositional environment and taphonomic context.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010087 Oxides Binary compounds of oxygen containing the anion O(2-). The anion combines with metals to form alkaline oxides and non-metals to form acidic oxides. Oxide
D002048 Burial The act or ceremony of putting a corpse into the ground or a vault, or into the sea; or the inurnment of CREMAINS. Burials
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013030 Spain Country located between France on the northeast and Portugal on the west and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The capital is Madrid. Balearic Islands,Canary Islands
D013059 Spectrum Analysis, Raman Analysis of the intensity of Raman scattering of monochromatic light as a function of frequency of the scattered light. Raman Spectroscopy,Analysis, Raman Spectrum,Raman Optical Activity Spectroscopy,Raman Scattering,Raman Spectrum Analysis,Scattering, Raman,Spectroscopy, Raman
D014857 Warfare Methods of conducting ARMED CONFLICTS.
D017610 Calcium Compounds Inorganic compounds that contain calcium as an integral part of the molecule. Compounds, Calcium
D049673 History, 20th Century Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era. 20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History
D055699 Cemeteries Areas set apart as burial grounds. Graveyards,Cemetery,Graveyard
D018732 Forensic Anthropology Scientific study of human skeletal remains with the express purpose of identification. This includes establishing individual identity, trauma analysis, facial reconstruction, photographic superimposition, determination of time interval since death, and crime-scene recovery. Forensic anthropologists do not certify cause of death but provide data to assist in determination of probable cause. This is a branch of the field of physical anthropology and qualified individuals are certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. (From Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1992 Jun;13(2):146) Anthropology, Forensic,Human Identification,Human Identifications,Identification, Human,Identifications, Human

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