Skip to main content
Log in

Human Remains Detection Dogs as a New Prospecting Method in Archaeology

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Detecting burial sites in archaeology often involves various prospecting methods such as field survey, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity, and remote sensing. This paper presents the results of utilizing human remains detection dogs in detecting prehistoric burials dated to the Iron Age in Europe. Human remains detection (HRD) dogs or cadaver dogs are commonly used in criminal cases. However, they are used less frequently for detecting historic burials. Our research was conducted at the burial site of the prehistoric hillfort of Drvišica (Croatia) located on the littoral slope of the Velebit mountains. A total of four HRD dogs were used in both a blinded and double-blinded search. Those locations where an HRD dog produced an indication were subjected to both visual inspection and archaeological excavation. This research has resulted in the discovery of five new prehistoric tombs as well as HRD dogs detecting previously excavated tombs. Therefore, in this paper, we demonstrate that HRD dogs are a valuable tool for locating burials like other non-destructive archaeological search methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

References

  • Abrantes, R. (2010). Mission SMAF - Bringing scientific precision into animal training. Wakan Tanka Publishers.

  • Abrantes, R. (2014a). Animal learning. Wakan Tanka Publishers.

  • Abrantes, R. (2014b). Canine scent detection - The practical manual. Wakan Tanka Publishers.

  • Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. A., Owings, C. G., Alexander, M. B., Larison, N., & Bytheway, J. A. (2012). Mapping the lateral extent of human cadaver decomposition with soil chemistry. Forensic Science International, 216(1–3), 127–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, M. B., Hodges, T. K., Blytheway, J., & Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. A. (2015). Application of soil in forensic science: residual odour and HRD dogs. Forensic Science International, 249, 304–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, M. B., Hodges, T. K., Wescott, D. J., & Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. A. (2016). The effects of soil texture on the ability of human remains detection dogs to detect buried human remains. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 61(3), 649–655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batović, Š. (1987). Liburnska grupa. In Praistorija jugoslavenskih zemalja. Željezno doba (Vol. V, pp. 339–391). Sarajevo.

  • Baxter, C. L., & Hargrave, M. L. (2015). Guidance on the use of historic human remains detection dogs for locating unmarked cemeteries. (pp. 114): The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

  • Bereuter, T. L., Mikenda, W., & Reiter, C. (1997). Iceman’s mummification - implications from infrared spectroscopical and histological studies. Chemistry: A European Journal, 3(7), 1032–1038.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blečić Kavur, M. (2014). At the crossroads of worlds at the turn of the millennium: the Late Bronze Age in the Kvarner region (Vol. XI, Musei archaeologici Zagrabiensis Catalog Monographiae). Zagreb: Arheološki muzej u Zagrebu.

  • Blečić Kavur, M., & Miličević-Capek, I. (2011). O horizontu ratničkih grobova 5. stoljeća pr. Kr. na prostoru istočne obale Jadrana i njezina zaleđa: primjer novog nalaza iz Vranjeva Sela kod Neuma. Prilozi Instituta za arheologiju u Zagrebu, 28, 31–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braut, I., & Majer Jurišić, K. (2017). Sv. Vid nad Karlobagom - prilog poznavanju srednjovjekovne sakralne arhitekture Podvelebitskog primorja. Godišnjak zaštite spomenika kulture Hrvatske, 40, 57–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunšmid, J. (1899). Arheološke bilješke iz Dalmacije i Panonije II. Vjesnik arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu, n.s., 3, 150–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunšmid, J. (1901). Arheološke bilješke iz Dalmacije i Panonije II. Vjesnik arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu, n.s., 3, 87–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buis, R., Rust, L., Nizio, K., Rai, T., Stuart, B., & Forbes, S. (2015). Investigating the sensitivity of cadaver-detection dogs to decomposition fluid. Journal of Forensic Identification, 65(6), 985–997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cablk, M. E., & Sagebiel, J. C. (2011). Field capability of dogs to locate individual human teeth. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 56(4), 1018–1024. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01785.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cablk, M. E., Szelagowski, E. E., & Sagebiel, J. C. (2012). Characterization of the volatile organic compounds present in the headspace of decomposing animal remains, and compared with human remains. Forensic Science International, 220(1–3), 118–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conyers, L. B. (2006). Ground-penetrating radar. In J. K. Johnson (Ed.), Remote sensing in archaeology. an explicitly North American perspective (pp. 131–161). Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drnić, I., & Tonc, A. (2014). Kasnolatenske i ranocarske fibule s japodskog prostora. Prilozi Instituta za arheologiju u Zagrebu, 31, 181–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupras, T. L., Schultz, J. J., Wheeler, S. M., & Williams, L. J. (2006). Forensic recovery of human remains: archaeological approaches. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faivre, S. (1994). Strukturno-geomorfološka analiza tipova dolinske mreže Sjevernog Velebita i Senjskog bila. Senjski zbornik, 21.

  • Fiedler, S., & Graw, M. (2003). Decomposition of buried corpses, with special reference to the formation of adipocere. Naturwissenschaften, 90(7), 291–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiedler, S., Buegger, F., Klaubert, B., Zipp, K., Dohrmann, R., Witteyer, M., Zarei, M., & Graw, M. (2009). Adipocere withstands 1600 years of fluctuating groundwater levels in soil. Journal of Archaeological Science, 36(7), 1328–1333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forbes, S. L., Keegan, J., Stuart, B. H., & Dent, B. B. (2003). A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the detection of adipocere in grave soils. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 105(12), 761–768. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejlt.200300819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forbes, S. L., Dent, B. B., & Stuart, B. H. (2005). The effect of soil type on adipocere formation. Forensic Science International, 154(1), 35–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, D. C., & Williams, P. W. (2007). Karst geomorphology and hydrology. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd..

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Forenbacher, S. (1990). Velebit i njegov biljni svijet. Zagreb: Školska knjiga.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fründ, H. C., & Schoenen, D. (2009). Quantification of adipocere degradation with and without access to oxygen and to the living soil. Forensic Science International, 188(1-3), 18–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furton, K. G. (2010). Enhancing the performance of canine teams through research and implementation of the Scientific Working Group on Dog and Orthogonal Detector Guidelines (SWGDOG). In Thirty-eigth Annual National Association for Search and Rescue Conference Tunica: NASAR, May 14, 2010.

  • Glavaš, V. (2015). Romanizacija autohtonih civitates na prostoru sjevernog i srednjeg Velebita. Zadar: University of Zadar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glavičić, A. (1996). Ostaci crkvica sv. Vida u Senju i Karlobagu. Senjski zbornik, 23, 41–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, D., & Piro, S. (2013). GPR Remote Sensing in Archaeology (Vol. 9). Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

  • Hoffman, E. M., Curran, A. M., Dulgerian, N., Stockham, R. A., & Eckenrode, B. A. (2009). Characterization of the volatile organic compounds present in the headspace of decomposing human remains. Forensic Science International, 186(1-3), 6–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, J., & Cox, M. (2005). Forensic archaeology: advances in theory and practice. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Judah, J. C., & Sargent, T. (2015). How to train a human remains detection dog. United States of America: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, D. (2011). The “Works of the Old Men” in Arabia: remote sensing in interior Arabia. Journal of Archaeological Science, 38(12), 3185–3203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komar, D. (1999). The use of cadaver dogs in locating scattered, scavenged human remains: preliminary field test results. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 44(2), 405–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kukoč, S. (2011). Liburnska nekropola u prirodnom i kulturnom okolišu. Histria antiqua: časopis Međunarodnog istraživačkog centra za arheologiju, 20, 189–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasseter, A. E., Jacobi, K. P., Farley, R., & Hensel, L. (2003). Cadaver dog and handler team capabilities in the recovery of buried human remains in the southeastern United States. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 43, 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lit, L., Schweitzer, J. B., & Oberbauer, A. M. (2011). Handler beliefs affect scent detection dog outcomes. Animal Cognition, 14(3), 387–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mine detection dogs: training, operations and odour detection (2003). In I. G. McLean (Ed.), Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).

  • Nystrom, K. (2016). Analysis of human skeletal remains from Drvišica hillfort (personal communication).

  • Oesterhelweg, L., Krober, S., Rottmann, K., Willhoft, J., Braun, C., Thies, N., et al. (2008). Cadaver dogs - a study on detection of contaminated carpet squares. Forensic Science International, 174(1), 35–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perica, D., & Orešić, D. (1999). Klimatska obilježja Velebita. Senjski zbornik, 26, 1–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pototschnig, T. (2013). Searching for a World War II mass grave in Austria. In International conference on cultural heritage and new technologies, Vienna, 2012 (pp. 2–10): Museen der Stadt Wien – Stadtarchäologie.

  • Radić, D. (2017). Metalni nalazi. In I. Fadić & A. Eterović Borzić (Eds.), GRAD MRTVIH NAD POLJEM ŽIVOTA Nekropola gradinskog naselja Kopila na otoku Korčuli (pp. 85–99). Zadar: Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radić, D., Borzić, I., & Eterović Borzić, A. (2017). Katalog. In I. Fadić & A. Eterović Borzić (Eds.), GRAD MRTVIH NAD POLJEM ŽIVOTA Nekropola gradinskog naselja Kopila na otoku Korčuli (pp. 148–204). Zadar: Muzej antičkog stakla u Zadru.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rebmann, A., David, E., & Sorg, M. H. (2000). Cadaver dog handbook: forensic training and tactics for the recovery of human remains. Boca Raton: CRC Press Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riezzo, I., Neri, M., Rendine, M., Bellifemina, A., Cantatore, S., Fiore, C., & Turillazzi, E. (2014). Cadaver dogs: Unscientific myth or reliable biological devices? Forensic Science International, 244, 213–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogić, V. (1957). Velebitska primorska padina. Hrvatski geografski glasnik, 19, 61–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosier, E., Loix, S., Develter, W., Van de Voorde, W., Tytgat, J., & Cuypers, E. (2015). The search for a volatile human specific marker in the decomposition process. PLoS One, 10(9), e0137341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, S. (2001). Mass graves and the collection of forensic evidence: genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In D. Haglund & M. H. Sorg (Eds.), Advances in forensic taphonomy. Method, theory, and archaeological perspectives (pp. 277–292). Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Škoberne, Ž. (2003). Nalaz neuobičajene višeglave igle s budinjačke nekropole. Opvscvla Archaeologica, 27, 199–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statheropoulos, M., Agapiou, A., Spiliopoulou, C., Pallis, G. C., & Sianos, E. (2007). Environmental aspects of VOCs evolved in the early stages of human decomposition. The Science of the Total Environment, 385(1–3), 221–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ubelaker, D. H., & Zarenko, K. M. (2011). Adipocere: what is known after over two centuries of research. Forensic Science International, 208, 167–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vass, A. A. (2012). Odor mortis. Forensic Science International, 222(1–3), 234–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vass, A. A., Smith, R. R., Thompson, C. V., Burnett, M. N., Wolf, D. A., Synstelien, J. A., Dulgerian, N., & Eckenrode, B. A. (2004). Decompositional odor analysis database. Journal of Forensic Science, 49(4), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vass, A. A., Smith, R. R., Thompson, C. V., Burnett, M. N., Dulgerian, N., & Eckenrode, B. A. (2008). Odor analysis of decomposing buried human remains. Journal of Forensic Science, 53(2), 384–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This project benefited from the Ministry of Croatian Veterans affair, Department for Detainees and Missing Persons, by providing technical support. This project would not be possible without the members of S.PAS Centre such as Chris Nikolić, Zlatko Balaš, and Josip Granić. We are also grateful to Ken Nystrom for reading the paper and improving the manuscript by his comments. We are thankful to Lorna Irish and Ana Bakašun for helping us to improve the English language of the manuscript. And finally, we want to thank sincerely the students and researchers who worked on the excavation of the burial sites.

Funding

This work received financial support from the Ministry of Culture, Republic of Croatia and Karlobag municipality, which provided funds for excavation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vedrana Glavaš.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Glavaš, V., Pintar, A. Human Remains Detection Dogs as a New Prospecting Method in Archaeology. J Archaeol Method Theory 26, 1106–1124 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-018-9406-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-018-9406-y

Keywords

Navigation