ABSTRACT
In 2014, near the village of Zdziary in south-east Poland, in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, unmarked mass graves of Russian Imperial soldiers were located. They had died during the First World War in the Battle of the Crossing of the San River in the area of Nisko. The anthropological analysis was carried out in accordance with modern scientific standards. In May and September 2014, fieldwork began at the Zdziary archaeological site. The general characteristics of the skulls were studied with an emphasis on dimorphic features, age-related traits, traces of trauma, paleopathology, and non-typical morphological features. The mass graves from Zdziary were almost forgotten. However, when the excavation was undertaken, the local community watched with great interest, and re-engaged with the historic site through the medium of archaeology. Exhumations of mass graves have importance for the region, and not only in relation to Great War military operations in Poland.
