Smith Pamela A, Raven Mark D, Walshe Keryn, Fitzpatrick Robert W, Pate F Donald
Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia.
CSIRO, Land and Water, Private Bag 2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia.
Forensic Sci Int. 2017 Oct;279:258-267. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.08.018. Epub 2017 Aug 31.
Archival research into episodes of frontier violence in the Kimberley region of Western Australia indicate that the bodies of Aboriginal victims of massacres were frequently incinerated following the event. This paper presents the results of a scientific investigation of a reported massacre at Sturt Creek where burnt bone fragments were identified in two adjacent sites and documents the archaeological signatures associated with the sites. The methodology used to undertake the project brought together three systems of knowledge: the oral testimonies of the descent group originating from a sole adult survivor of the massacre; archival, historical and scientific research. An archaeological survey defined the two distinct sites containing hundreds of fragile bone fragments; a third site was found to be highly disturbed. Scientific investigations included macroscopic and microscopic examination of selected bone fragments by an anatomical pathologist and a zooarchaeologist and X-ray diffraction analysis of sixteen bone fragments. The anatomical pathologist and zooarchaeologist undertook macroscopic and microscopic examinations of selected bone samples to identify morphological evidence for human origin. It was concluded that three bone fragments examined may have been human, and two of the fragments may have been from the vault of a skull. It was concluded that the likelihood of them being human would be strengthened if it was found that the three samples had been subjected to high temperatures. X-ray diffraction analysis of 16 bone fragments provided this evidence. All fragments showed sharp hydroxylapatite peaks (crystallite sizes 9882nm and 597nm respectively) and all had been subjected to extreme temperatures of either 600°C for more than 80h, 650°C for more than 20h, 700°C for more than 4h or 800°C for more than 1h. XRD analyses were also done on bone samples collected from three cooking hearths at three different archaeological sites. It was found that two of the three samples had been exposed to substantially lower temperatures for a short time period. It was concluded that there was strong pathological and archaeological evidence that the bone fragments were human in origin, but that the evidence was not conclusive. This research also identified archaeological signatures for the identification of massacre sites in similar Australian environments and circumstances.
对西澳大利亚金伯利地区边境暴力事件的档案研究表明，大屠杀中土著受害者的尸体在事件发生后经常被焚烧。本文展示了对斯特尔特溪一场报告中的大屠杀进行科学调查的结果，在那里，在两个相邻地点发现了烧焦的骨头碎片，并记录了与这些地点相关的考古特征。开展该项目所使用的方法融合了三种知识体系：来自大屠杀唯一成年幸存者的世系群体的口述证词；档案、历史和科学研究。一次考古调查确定了两个不同的地点，其中包含数百块易碎的骨头碎片；发现第三个地点受到了严重干扰。科学调查包括由一名解剖病理学家和一名动物考古学家对选定的骨头碎片进行宏观和微观检查，以及对16块骨头碎片进行X射线衍射分析。解剖病理学家和动物考古学家对选定的骨样本进行了宏观和微观检查，以确定人类起源的形态学证据。得出的结论是，所检查的三块骨头碎片可能是人类的，其中两块碎片可能来自头骨穹窿。得出的结论是，如果发现这三个样本曾遭受高温，那么它们是人类的可能性就会增加。对16块骨头碎片的X射线衍射分析提供了这一证据。所有碎片都显示出尖锐的羟基磷灰石峰（微晶尺寸分别为9882纳米和597纳米），并且都曾遭受过600°C超过80小时、650°C超过20小时、700°C超过4小时或800°C超过1小时的极端温度。还对从三个不同考古遗址的三个烹饪炉灶收集的骨样本进行了XRD分析。发现三个样本中的两个曾在短时间内暴露于明显较低的温度下。得出的结论是，有强有力的病理学和考古学证据表明这些骨头碎片是人类起源的，但证据并不确凿。这项研究还确定了在澳大利亚类似环境和情况下识别大屠杀遗址的考古特征。
