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{{Short description|British forensic archaeologist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name = ''Forensic Approaches<br>to Buried Remains''<br>by Caroline Sturdy Colls et al
|name = Caroline Sturdy Colls
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|image =
|image = Forensic Approaches to Buried Remains by Caroline Sturdy Colls at al.jpg
|image_size = 190
|image_size =
|caption =
|caption = ''Forensic Approaches to Buried Remains'' (cover) by Caroline Sturdy Colls in collaboration with John Hunter and Barrie Simpson
|birth_date =
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1985}}
|birth_place =
|birth_place =
|nationality = British
|nationality = British
|known_for = [[Forensic investigation]] of [[Treblinka extermination camp]]
|known_for = [[Forensic investigation]] of [[Treblinka extermination camp]]
|education = [[Staffordshire University]]
|education = [[University of Birmingham]]
|occupation =
|occupation =
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|home_town =
}}
}}
Dr '''Caroline Sturdy Colls''' is a lecturer in [[forensic investigation]] at [[Staffordshire University]] specializing in identification of [[Cadaver|human remains]], [[forensic archaeology]] and [[crime scene]] investigation. She serves as [[Research|Research Lead]] for the Centre of Archaeology there, but also undertake consultancy for the [[UK Police]] forces. Her main area of interest is the methodology of investigation into [[the Holocaust]] and [[genocide]] murder sites with special consideration given to ethical and religious norms associated with the prohibition of excavating a grave.<ref name="csc-su"/><ref name="Ch5">Channel 5 (27 November 2013), [http://www.channel5.com/shows/treblinka-inside-hitlers-secret-death-camp Treblinka: Inside Hitler's Secret Death Camp] ''Episodes.'' Channel 5 Broadcasting.</ref><ref name="AT2012">Andy Tootell (23 January 2012), [http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/accessibility/transcripts/Caroline-Sturdy-Colls-Treblinka.aspx Treblinka: searching for the Holocaust's hidden graves.] ''Ideas Lab Predictor Podcast'', the University of Birmingham.</ref><ref name="GCRA">Goldsmiths' Centre for Research (28 February 2014), [http://roundtable.kein.org/node/1453 Gone but not forgotten: Archaeological approaches to the site of the former Treblinka Extermination Camp.] ''Centre for Research Architecture'' (with biographical note).</ref>
'''Caroline Sturdy Colls''' (born 1985) is a British archaeologist and academic, specializing in Holocaust studies, identification of [[Cadaver|human remains]], [[forensic archaeology]] and [[crime scene]] investigation. She is Professor of Holocaust Archaeology and Genocide Investigation at [[University of Huddersfield]], and serves as director for the Centre of Archaeology there. Previously she was a Professor and Director of the Centre of Archaeology at University of Huddersfield. Prof Sturdy Colls also undertakes consultancy for the [[UK Police]] forces. Her main area of interest is the methodology of investigation into [[the Holocaust]] and [[genocide]] murder sites with special consideration given to religious norms associated with the prohibition of excavating a grave.<ref name="csc-su"/><ref name="Ch5">Channel 5 (27 November 2013), [http://www.channel5.com/shows/treblinka-inside-hitlers-secret-death-camp Treblinka: Inside Hitler's Secret Death Camp] ''Episodes.'' Channel 5 Broadcasting.</ref><ref name="AT2012">Andy Tootell (23 January 2012), [http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/accessibility/transcripts/Caroline-Sturdy-Colls-Treblinka.aspx Treblinka: searching for the Holocaust's hidden graves.] ''Ideas Lab Predictor Podcast'', the University of Birmingham.</ref><ref name="GCRA">Goldsmiths' Centre for Research (28 February 2014), [http://roundtable.kein.org/node/1453 Gone but not forgotten: Archaeological approaches to the site of the former Treblinka Extermination Camp.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407055302/http://roundtable.kein.org/node/1453 |date=April 7, 2014 }} ''Centre for Research Architecture'' (with biographical note).</ref>


Sturdy Colls graduated from the [[University of Birmingham]] in 2007 with a [[BA(Hons)]] in Archaeology and Ancient History, and with the [[MPhil]] in Archaeological Practice in 2008. In 2012 she completed her PhD thesis in Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham, titled ''"Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution".''<ref name="csc-su">{{cite web |url=http://www.staffs.ac.uk/staff/profiles/cs30.jsp |title=Dr Caroline Sturdy Colls |publisher=[[Staffordshire University]] |year=2014 |accessdate=2 April 2014 |author=Staff Profiles}}</ref> She is the author of numerous scientific publications, lectures and selected books on the subject,<ref name="CSC-JCA">Caroline Sturdy Colls, [http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1179/1574077312Z.0000000005 Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution.] (PDF, direct download) ''Journal of Conflict Archaeology,'' Vol. 7 No. 2, May, 2012, 70–104.</ref><ref name="CoA">Centre of Archeology (27 January 2014), [http://www.staffs.ac.uk/events/public_lectures/finding-treblinka/ 'Finding Treblinka: Archaeological Investigations at Treblinka Extermination and Labour Camps' by Dr Caroline Sturdy Colls.] ''Public Lecture Series.'' Staffordshire University, [http://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/archaeology/2013/11/25/forensic-approaches-to-buried-remains/ Book launch.]</ref> not to mention TV interviews and documentaries.<ref name="Boyle">Alan Boyle (29 March 2014), [http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/archaeologists-delicately-dig-nazi-death-camp-secrets-treblinka-n66241 Archaeologists Delicately Dig Up Nazi Death Camp Secrets at Treblinka.] NBC News</ref>
Sturdy Colls graduated from the [[University of Birmingham]] in 2007 with a [[BA(Hons)]] in Archaeology and Ancient History, and with the [[MPhil]] in Archaeological Practice in 2008. In 2012 she completed her PhD thesis in Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham, titled ''"Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution".''<ref name="csc-su">{{cite web |url=http://www.staffs.ac.uk/staff/profiles/cs30.jsp |title=Dr Caroline Sturdy Colls |publisher=[[Staffordshire University]] |year=2014 |accessdate=2 April 2014 |author=Staff Profiles}}</ref> She is the author of numerous scientific publications, lectures and selected books on the subject,<ref name="CSC-JCA">{{cite journal | url=http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1179/1574077312Z.0000000005 | doi=10.1179/1574077312Z.0000000005 | title=Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution | year=2012 | last1=Sturdy Colls | first1=Caroline | journal=Journal of Conflict Archaeology | volume=7 | issue=2 | pages=70–104 | s2cid=218645146 }}</ref><ref name="CoA">Centre of Archeology (27 January 2014), [http://www.staffs.ac.uk/events/public_lectures/finding-treblinka/ 'Finding Treblinka: Archaeological Investigations at Treblinka Extermination and Labour Camps' by Dr Caroline Sturdy Colls.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407071727/http://www.staffs.ac.uk/events/public_lectures/finding-treblinka/ |date=2014-04-07 }} ''Public Lecture Series.'' Staffordshire University, [http://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/archaeology/2013/11/25/forensic-approaches-to-buried-remains/ Book launch.]</ref> not to mention TV interviews and documentaries.<ref name="Boyle">Alan Boyle (29 March 2014), [http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/archaeologists-delicately-dig-nazi-death-camp-secrets-treblinka-n66241 Archaeologists Delicately Dig Up Nazi Death Camp Secrets at Treblinka.] NBC News</ref>


==Archaeological studies==
==Criticism==
Sturdy Colls led a team of archeologists in the most recent excavations on the grounds of the [[Treblinka extermination camp]] Museum, resulting in the discovery of several floor tiles believed to have been used in the lining of the gas chambers. The tiles were made by [[Opoczno S.A.|Dziewulski & Lange ceramic factory]] in [[Opoczno]]. Her discovery became a subject of the [[Smithsonian]] film made for television.<ref name="smithsonian">{{cite web | archiveurl=https://archive.today/20140330044453/http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/show/3403868/treblinka-hitlers-killing-machine | archivedate=30 March 2014 | url=http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/show/3403868/treblinka-hitlers-killing-machine | title=Treblinka: Hitler's Killing Machine | publisher=Smithsonian Institution | work=The watershed discovery of Star of David tiles confirms the existence of Treblinka's gas chambers and becomes the key to reconstructing the death camp's sinister workings | date=24 February 2014 | accessdate=21 December 2014 | author=Smithsonian Channel | id={{YouTube|id=aVbmDfTv1nc|title=4:52 min. trailer}} | url-status=dead }}</ref> Approval for a limited archaeological study was issued for the first time in 2010 to a British team from Staffordshire using non-invasive technology and [[Lidar]] [[remote sensing]] notably, because neither the authorities nor the Jewish religious leaders in Poland allowed excavations at the camp out of respect for the dead. Sturdy Colls analyzed soil resistance at the site with ground-penetrating radar.<ref name="INN-2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/179065 |title=Archaeologists Find Treblinka Gas Chambers |publisher=Israel National News.com |date=30 March 2014 |accessdate=31 March 2014 |last=Ronen |first=Gil }}</ref> Features that appeared to be structural were found, two of which were thought to be the remains of the gas chambers, and therefore the study was allowed to continue.<ref name="BBC-2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16657363 |title=Treblinka: Revealing the hidden graves of the Holocaust |publisher=BBC News Magazine |date=22 January 2012 |accessdate=3 January 2015 |last=Sturdy Colls |first=Caroline |format=Internet Archive |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011194905/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16657363 |archivedate=October 11, 2014 }}</ref>


The archaeological team discovered three new mass graves.<ref name="Ynet"/> At the site of the previously unknown foundations several yellow tiles were unearthed, pressed with a symbol D<big>✡</big>L resembling a “Star of David”. The logo was soon identified as the [[Star (heraldry)|pierced mullet star]] belonging to the [[Opoczno S.A.|Polish ceramics factory from Opoczno]] founded by Jan Dziewulski and brothers Józef and Władysław Lange.<ref name="Oszczęda">{{cite web|url=http://opoczno.republika.pl/bajka.htm |title=Jak to z opoczyńskimi "skarbami" było |publisher=Opoczno.Republika.pl |work=B. & Wł. Baranowski, J. Koloński – "Katalog zabytków budownictwa przemysłowego w Polsce", [[Polish Academy of Sciences|PAN]], 1970 |year=2008 |accessdate=3 January 2015 |author=Waldemar Oszczęda |trans-title=How it was, with the Opoczno treasures |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403033029/http://opoczno.republika.pl/bajka.htm |archivedate=April 3, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="Budziński">{{cite web |url=http://www.opoczno-top.pl/artykul,Towarzystwo_Akcyjne_Dziewulski_i_Lange,1781.html |title=Towarzystwo Akcyjne Dziewulski i Lange |publisher=Tygodnik Opoczyński TOP nr 51 (650) weekly |work="Z rozwoju przemysłu ceramicznego. Dwie fabryki Tow. Akc. Dziewulski i Lange." Świat, nr 1/1908 |date=22 December 2009 |accessdate=3 January 2015 |author=Dr Paweł Budziński}}</ref> It was therefore not the [[Star of David]] as reported by the Israeli [[Ynet News]] service which made the announcement.<ref name="Ynet">{{cite web |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4504925,00.html |title=Tiles found in Treblinka confirm existence of gas chambers |publisher=Ynet News |work=Israel Jewish Scene, Internet Archive |date=3 March 2014 |accessdate=3 January 2015 |author=Ynetnews |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401133612/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-4504925%2C00.html |archivedate=April 1, 2014 }}</ref>{{Synthesis inline|date=May 2017}} The tiles located by the ground-penetrating radar were claimed to provide the first physical evidence of the existence of the gas chambers in Camp Two.<ref name="smithsonian"/><ref name="Ynet"/><ref name="NBC News-2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/archaeologists-delicately-dig-nazi-death-camp-secrets-treblinka-n66241 |title=Archaeologists Delicately Dig Up Nazi Death Camp Secrets at Treblinka |publisher=NBC |date=29 March 2014 |accessdate=3 January 2015 |last=Boyle |first=Alan}}</ref><ref name="Pappas2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/nazi-death-camp-treblinka-excavated-archaeologists_n_5062114.html |title=First Excavation Of Nazi Death Camp Treblinka Reveals New Horrors |work=The Huffington Post |date=31 March 2014 |accessdate=3 January 2015 |last=Pappas |first=Stephanie }}</ref> For her work, Sturdy Colls was awarded a medal of honor by Treblinka extermination camp Museum.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-62468356 | title=Holocaust medal of honour awarded to Treblinka archaeologist | date=8 August 2022 | publisher =BBC News |access-date=August 9, 2022 }}</ref>
Sturdy-Colls has been criticized for being “grossly amateurish”<ref>Smithsonian Red-Faced after “Treblinka Star of David Tiles” Shown to be Not Jewish At All, The New Observer, April 13, 2014. [http://newobserveronline.com/smithsonian-red-faced-after-treblinka-star-of-david-tiles-shown-to-be-not-jewish-at-all/]</ref> after she and fellow archeologist Ivar Schute incorrectly identified tile brand marks from the 125-year old Dziewulski i Lange porcelain factory in Poland as “Jewish Stars of David.”<ref>“The watershed discovery of Star of David tiles confirms the existence of Treblinka's gas chambers and becomes the key to reconstructing the death camp's sinister workings,”—Treblinka: Hitler's Killing Machine, Smithsonian Channel. [http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/show/3403868/treblinka-hitlers-killing-machine]</ref>


⚫
==Selected publications==
In the Smithsonian film made of her excavations at the Treblinka camp, Colls is shown saying upon the discovery of the Dziewulski i Lange porcelain tiles that, with reference to the incorrectly identified brand mark that what “immediately springs to my mind is that witnesses who were allowed in the gas chamber and the area talked about the Star of David on the outside of the gas chamber building to build up the illusion that people were going to somewhere that was safe.”<ref>“The watershed discovery of Star of David tiles confirms the existence of Treblinka's gas chambers and becomes the key to reconstructing the death camp's sinister workings,”—Treblinka: Hitler's Killing Machine, Smithsonian Channel. [http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/show/3403868/treblinka-hitlers-killing-machine]</ref>

Colls’s claim that these tiles were proof of the gas chambers was repeated by the Israeli [[Ynet News]] service, which announced that “Tiles with the Star of David stamped on them were found by an archeological team in Treblinka and confirm the existence of gas chambers in the Nazi death camp.”<ref>Tiles found in Treblinka confirm existence of gas chambers, Ynet News, 03.30.14. [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4504925,00.html]</ref>

In reality, the Dziewulski i Lange symbol is known in the heraldic world as a pierced mullet star, as is not unusual for porcelain marks and coats of arms around Europe.<ref>Smithsonian Red-Faced after “Treblinka Star of David Tiles” Shown to be Not Jewish At All, The New Observer, April 13, 2014. [http://newobserveronline.com/smithsonian-red-faced-after-treblinka-star-of-david-tiles-shown-to-be-not-jewish-at-all/]</ref>

Colls’ error in misidentifying the Dziewulski i Lange symbol was also criticized as “very poor scholarship” which “has not only placed a large question mark over the team’s ability to intelligently interpret data of important historic significance, but will also have added fuel to fire of the revisionists who question the Treblinka story.”<ref>Smithsonian Red-Faced after “Treblinka Star of David Tiles” Shown to be Not Jewish At All, The New Observer, April 13, 2014. [http://newobserveronline.com/smithsonian-red-faced-after-treblinka-star-of-david-tiles-shown-to-be-not-jewish-at-all/]</ref>

⚫
==Selected Publications==
;Books
;Books
*Sturdy Colls, C. (contrib.) ''Forensic Architecture'' (2014), [http://www.sternberg-press.com/?pageId=1488 Forensis: The Architecture of Public Truth.] Berlin:&nbsp;Sternberg Press. ISBN 978-3-95679-011-9.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (contrib.) ''Forensic Architecture'' (2014), [http://www.sternberg-press.com/?pageId=1488 Forensis: The Architecture of Public Truth.] Berlin:&nbsp;Sternberg Press. {{ISBN|978-3-95679-011-9}}.
*Sturdy Colls, C., with Hunter, J. and Simpson B. (2013), [http://www.wiley-vch.de/publish/en/books/bySubjectLS00/bySubSubjectLSF0/0-470-66629-3/?sID=2p9hukdhovgp51i0ngs5dgil32 ''Forensic Approaches to Buried Remains.''] Wiley,&nbsp;London. ISBN 978-0-470-66629-6.
*Sturdy Colls, C., with Hunter, J. and Simpson B. (2013), [http://www.wiley-vch.de/publish/en/books/bySubjectLS00/bySubSubjectLSF0/0-470-66629-3/?sID=2p9hukdhovgp51i0ngs5dgil32 ''Forensic Approaches to Buried Remains.''] Wiley,&nbsp;London. {{ISBN|978-0-470-66629-6}}.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (in print) ''Holocaust Archaeologies: Approaches and Future Directions.'' New York:&nbsp;Springer.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (in print) ''Holocaust Archaeologies: Approaches and Future Directions.'' New York:&nbsp;Springer.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (in print) ''Finding Treblinka. Archaeological Investigations at Treblinka Extermination and Labour Camps'', 2014 in English and Polish.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (in print) ''Finding Treblinka. Archaeological Investigations at Treblinka Extermination and Labour Camps'', 2014 in English and Polish.
*Morewitz, S. and Sturdy Colls, C. (2016). ''Handbook of Missing Persons.'' New York: Springer.


;Book Chapters
;Book Chapters
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2016). ‘Earth conceal not my blood’: forensic and archaeological approaches to locating the remains of Holocaust victims’ In: Dreyfus, J-M. and Anstett, E. ''Human remains in society: Curation and exhibition in the aftermath of genocide and mass-violence.'' Manchester: Manchester University Press.
⚫
*Sturdy Colls, C. and Colls, K. (2014), "Reconstructing a painful past: A non-invasive approach to reconstructing Lager Norderney in Alderney, the Channel Islands." In Ch’ng, E. (ed.) ''Visual Heritage in the Digital Age.'' New York: Springer.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2015). "Badania archeologiczne w obozie zagłady i karnym obozie pracy w Treblince." In: [[Edward Kopówka]] (ed.), ''Treblinka: historia i pamięć.'' Siedlce: Muzeum Regionalne w Siedlcach. {{ISBN|978-83-88761-51-5}}.
⚫
*Sturdy Colls, C. with Hunter, J. (2013), "Archeology." In Siegel, J. and Saukko, P. (eds.) ''Encyclopaedia of Forensic Sciences.'' 2nd edition. Vol. 1, pp.18-32. Waltham: Academic Press.
⚫
*Sturdy Colls, C. and Colls, K. (2014), "Reconstructing a painful past: A non-invasive approach to reconstructing Lager Norderney in Alderney, the Channel Islands." In: Ch’ng, E. (ed.), ''Visual Heritage in the Digital Age.'' New York: Springer.
⚫
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2013), "Ocena archeologiczna teren bylego Obozu Zaglady w Treblince / Archaeological Survey of the Former Extermination Camp at Treblinka. Co wiemy o Treblince? Stan Badan." Warsaw&nbsp;{{pl icon}} {{en icon}}.
⚫
*Sturdy Colls, C. with Hunter, J. (2013), "Archeology." In Siegel, J. and Saukko, P. (eds.) ''Encyclopaedia of Forensic Sciences.'' 2nd edition. Vol. 1, pp.&nbsp;18–32. Waltham: Academic Press.
⚫
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2013), "Ocena archeologiczna terenu byłego Obozu Zagłady w Treblince / Archaeological Survey of the Former Extermination Camp at Treblinka." In: [[Edward Kopówka]] (ed.), ''[https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10503649 Co wiemy o Treblince? Stan Badań.]'' Warsaw&nbsp;, Siedlce. {{ISBN|8388761382}}. {{in lang|pl|en}}.


;Papers
;Papers
*Carr, G. and Sturdy Colls, C. (2016). "Taboo and sensitive heritage: labour camps, burials and the role of activism in the Channel Islands." ''International Journal of Heritage Studies'' 22(9), DOI: 10.1080/13527258.2016.1191524.
*Sturdy Colls, (2015). "Uncovering a Painful Past: Archaeology and the Holocaust." ''Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites'' 17 (1) 38-55
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2014), "Gone but not forgotten: Archaeological approaches to the landscape of the former extermination camp at Treblinka, Poland," ''Holocaust Studies and Materials''.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2014), "Gone but not forgotten: Archaeological approaches to the landscape of the former extermination camp at Treblinka, Poland," ''Holocaust Studies and Materials''.
*Sturdy Colls, C. and Colls, K. (2013), "The Alderney Archaeological Research Project 2010-2012." ''Alderney Society Bulletin.''
*Sturdy Colls, C. and Colls, K. (2013), "The Alderney Archaeological Research Project 2010-2012." ''Alderney Society Bulletin.''
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2013), "The Archaeology of the Holocaust." ''British Archaeology'' Nr 130, p. 50-53.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2013), "The Archaeology of the Holocaust." ''British Archaeology'' Nr 130, p.&nbsp;50-53.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2012), "Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution." [http://maneypublishing.com/index.php/journals/jca/ ''Journal of Conflict Archaeology''] Nr 7(2), 71-105.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2012), "Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution." [http://maneypublishing.com/index.php/journals/jca/ ''Journal of Conflict Archaeology''] Nr 7(2), 71-105.
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2012), "O tym, co minelo, lecz nie zostalo zapomniane. Badania archeologiczne na terenie bylego obozu zaglady w Treblince." [http://www.zagladazydow.org/?l=a&lang=pl ''Zaglada Zydow. Studia i Materialy''] Nr 8, 77-112.&nbsp;{{pl icon}}
*Sturdy Colls, C. (2012), "O tym, co minęło, lecz nie zostało zapomniane: Badania archeologiczne na terenie byłego obozu zagłady w Treblince." [https://www.zagladazydow.org/index.php?show=562 ''Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały.'' Nr 8, 77-112.]&nbsp;{{in lang|pl}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata
| NAME = Sturdy Colls, Caroline
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = British scientist and writer
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturdy Colls, Caroline}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturdy Colls, Caroline}}
[[Category:British writers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British historians]]
[[Category:1985 births]]
[[Category:21st-century British women writers]]
[[Category:British women historians]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham]]
[[Category:British women archaeologists]]

Latest revision as of 07:11, 26 December 2024

Caroline Sturdy Colls
Born1985 (age 39–40)
NationalityBritish
EducationUniversity of Birmingham
Known forForensic investigation of Treblinka extermination camp

Caroline Sturdy Colls (born 1985) is a British archaeologist and academic, specializing in Holocaust studies, identification of human remains, forensic archaeology and crime scene investigation. She is Professor of Holocaust Archaeology and Genocide Investigation at University of Huddersfield, and serves as director for the Centre of Archaeology there. Previously she was a Professor and Director of the Centre of Archaeology at University of Huddersfield. Prof Sturdy Colls also undertakes consultancy for the UK Police forces. Her main area of interest is the methodology of investigation into the Holocaust and genocide murder sites with special consideration given to religious norms associated with the prohibition of excavating a grave.[1][2][3][4]

Sturdy Colls graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2007 with a BA(Hons) in Archaeology and Ancient History, and with the MPhil in Archaeological Practice in 2008. In 2012 she completed her PhD thesis in Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham, titled "Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution".[1] She is the author of numerous scientific publications, lectures and selected books on the subject,[5][6] not to mention TV interviews and documentaries.[7]

Archaeological studies

[edit]

Sturdy Colls led a team of archeologists in the most recent excavations on the grounds of the Treblinka extermination camp Museum, resulting in the discovery of several floor tiles believed to have been used in the lining of the gas chambers. The tiles were made by Dziewulski & Lange ceramic factory in Opoczno. Her discovery became a subject of the Smithsonian film made for television.[8] Approval for a limited archaeological study was issued for the first time in 2010 to a British team from Staffordshire using non-invasive technology and Lidar remote sensing notably, because neither the authorities nor the Jewish religious leaders in Poland allowed excavations at the camp out of respect for the dead. Sturdy Colls analyzed soil resistance at the site with ground-penetrating radar.[9] Features that appeared to be structural were found, two of which were thought to be the remains of the gas chambers, and therefore the study was allowed to continue.[10]

The archaeological team discovered three new mass graves.[11] At the site of the previously unknown foundations several yellow tiles were unearthed, pressed with a symbol D✡L resembling a “Star of David”. The logo was soon identified as the pierced mullet star belonging to the Polish ceramics factory from Opoczno founded by Jan Dziewulski and brothers Józef and Władysław Lange.[12][13] It was therefore not the Star of David as reported by the Israeli Ynet News service which made the announcement.[11][improper synthesis?] The tiles located by the ground-penetrating radar were claimed to provide the first physical evidence of the existence of the gas chambers in Camp Two.[8][11][14][15] For her work, Sturdy Colls was awarded a medal of honor by Treblinka extermination camp Museum.[16]

Selected publications

[edit]
Books
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (contrib.) Forensic Architecture (2014), Forensis: The Architecture of Public Truth. Berlin: Sternberg Press. ISBN 978-3-95679-011-9.
  • Sturdy Colls, C., with Hunter, J. and Simpson B. (2013), Forensic Approaches to Buried Remains. Wiley, London. ISBN 978-0-470-66629-6.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (in print) Holocaust Archaeologies: Approaches and Future Directions. New York: Springer.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (in print) Finding Treblinka. Archaeological Investigations at Treblinka Extermination and Labour Camps, 2014 in English and Polish.
  • Morewitz, S. and Sturdy Colls, C. (2016). Handbook of Missing Persons. New York: Springer.
Book Chapters
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (2016). ‘Earth conceal not my blood’: forensic and archaeological approaches to locating the remains of Holocaust victims’ In: Dreyfus, J-M. and Anstett, E. Human remains in society: Curation and exhibition in the aftermath of genocide and mass-violence. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (2015). "Badania archeologiczne w obozie zagłady i karnym obozie pracy w Treblince." In: Edward Kopówka (ed.), Treblinka: historia i pamięć. Siedlce: Muzeum Regionalne w Siedlcach. ISBN 978-83-88761-51-5.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. and Colls, K. (2014), "Reconstructing a painful past: A non-invasive approach to reconstructing Lager Norderney in Alderney, the Channel Islands." In: Ch’ng, E. (ed.), Visual Heritage in the Digital Age. New York: Springer.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. with Hunter, J. (2013), "Archeology." In Siegel, J. and Saukko, P. (eds.) Encyclopaedia of Forensic Sciences. 2nd edition. Vol. 1, pp. 18–32. Waltham: Academic Press.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (2013), "Ocena archeologiczna terenu byłego Obozu Zagłady w Treblince / Archaeological Survey of the Former Extermination Camp at Treblinka." In: Edward Kopówka (ed.), Co wiemy o Treblince? Stan Badań. Warsaw , Siedlce. ISBN 8388761382. (in Polish and English).
Papers
  • Carr, G. and Sturdy Colls, C. (2016). "Taboo and sensitive heritage: labour camps, burials and the role of activism in the Channel Islands." International Journal of Heritage Studies 22(9), DOI: 10.1080/13527258.2016.1191524.
  • Sturdy Colls, (2015). "Uncovering a Painful Past: Archaeology and the Holocaust." Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 17 (1) 38-55
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (2014), "Gone but not forgotten: Archaeological approaches to the landscape of the former extermination camp at Treblinka, Poland," Holocaust Studies and Materials.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. and Colls, K. (2013), "The Alderney Archaeological Research Project 2010-2012." Alderney Society Bulletin.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (2013), "The Archaeology of the Holocaust." British Archaeology Nr 130, p. 50-53.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (2012), "Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution." Journal of Conflict Archaeology Nr 7(2), 71-105.
  • Sturdy Colls, C. (2012), "O tym, co minęło, lecz nie zostało zapomniane: Badania archeologiczne na terenie byłego obozu zagłady w Treblince." Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały. Nr 8, 77-112. (in Polish)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Staff Profiles (2014). "Dr Caroline Sturdy Colls". Staffordshire University. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  2. ^ Channel 5 (27 November 2013), Treblinka: Inside Hitler's Secret Death Camp Episodes. Channel 5 Broadcasting.
  3. ^ Andy Tootell (23 January 2012), Treblinka: searching for the Holocaust's hidden graves. Ideas Lab Predictor Podcast, the University of Birmingham.
  4. ^ Goldsmiths' Centre for Research (28 February 2014), Gone but not forgotten: Archaeological approaches to the site of the former Treblinka Extermination Camp. Archived April 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Centre for Research Architecture (with biographical note).
  5. ^ Sturdy Colls, Caroline (2012). "Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution". Journal of Conflict Archaeology. 7 (2): 70–104. doi:10.1179/1574077312Z.0000000005. S2CID 218645146.
  6. ^ Centre of Archeology (27 January 2014), 'Finding Treblinka: Archaeological Investigations at Treblinka Extermination and Labour Camps' by Dr Caroline Sturdy Colls. Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine Public Lecture Series. Staffordshire University, Book launch.
  7. ^ Alan Boyle (29 March 2014), Archaeologists Delicately Dig Up Nazi Death Camp Secrets at Treblinka. NBC News
  8. ^ a b Smithsonian Channel (24 February 2014). "Treblinka: Hitler's Killing Machine". The watershed discovery of Star of David tiles confirms the existence of Treblinka's gas chambers and becomes the key to reconstructing the death camp's sinister workings. Smithsonian Institution. 4:52 min. trailer on YouTube. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  9. ^ Ronen, Gil (30 March 2014). "Archaeologists Find Treblinka Gas Chambers". Israel National News.com. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  10. ^ Sturdy Colls, Caroline (22 January 2012). "Treblinka: Revealing the hidden graves of the Holocaust". BBC News Magazine. Archived from the original (Internet Archive) on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Ynetnews (3 March 2014). "Tiles found in Treblinka confirm existence of gas chambers". Israel Jewish Scene, Internet Archive. Ynet News. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  12. ^ Waldemar Oszczęda (2008). "Jak to z opoczyńskimi "skarbami" było" [How it was, with the Opoczno treasures]. B. & Wł. Baranowski, J. Koloński – "Katalog zabytków budownictwa przemysłowego w Polsce", PAN, 1970. Opoczno.Republika.pl. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  13. ^ Dr Paweł Budziński (22 December 2009). "Towarzystwo Akcyjne Dziewulski i Lange". "Z rozwoju przemysłu ceramicznego. Dwie fabryki Tow. Akc. Dziewulski i Lange." Świat, nr 1/1908. Tygodnik Opoczyński TOP nr 51 (650) weekly. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  14. ^ Boyle, Alan (29 March 2014). "Archaeologists Delicately Dig Up Nazi Death Camp Secrets at Treblinka". NBC. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  15. ^ Pappas, Stephanie (31 March 2014). "First Excavation Of Nazi Death Camp Treblinka Reveals New Horrors". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Holocaust medal of honour awarded to Treblinka archaeologist". BBC News. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
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