Whilst surveying a European battlefield of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), the most destructive fought on the continent at its time, a mass grave from the battle was discovered. It was the Battle of Lützen and the grave's 47 corpses represented only a tiny fraction of the 9,000 or so killed in the fight.
Read the whole fascinating essay.
Usually, a find like this might be carefully dissected in the place where it was found. But in this case, in part because of their worries about theft, the archaeologists decided to “block lift” the bones from the site—to cut the entire mass grave out of the ground and transport it somewhere safe. ...
Beyond the scientific reasons for excavating the grave and keeping it whole, the team also thought there was a powerful reason to preserve and display the grave, which was exhibited publicly for a period. “From an ethical point of view I have to emphasize that the exhibition of this grave was a statement against war,” says Nicklisch. “When we look at this mass grave, then we look in the face of war.”
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