ABSTRACT
This chapter provides insight into archaeological methods employed in forensic crime scene investigations, especially regarding mass graves. These methods are of immense importance when dealing with evidence found in crime scenes, including their recovery, chain of custody procedures, collection and subsequent interpretation. Artifacts collected at a crime scene offer insight into the linkage between victim and perpetrator and are of great value for investigation, so their proper collection, tagging and handling is critical for trials or other criminal procedures. A variety of evidence could be found when excavating mass or individual graves, such as clothing, personal belongings, identification documents, but also blindfolds and ligatures, and their analysis by different scientific methods is helpful in describing manner of death and personal identity of victims. Other types of evidence, such as soil and plant samples, or traces of the machines used to create graves are also discussed. A special focus is on employing standard archaeological methods and procedures when excavating, and on proper labeling and collection of evidence.
