Centre of Archaeology
The Centre of Archaeology is committed to undertaking pioneering work in the fields of Holocaust Archaeology and forensic approaches to buried remains.
Through the research of Professor Caroline Sturdy Colls and her interdisciplinary team, the Centre of Archaeology at Staffordshire University has completed archaeological investigations at more than 50 Holocaust sites, including the extermination and labour camps at Treblinka (Poland), the sites pertaining to the slave labour programme in Alderney (the Channel Islands), the former Semlin camp (Serbia), Staro Gradiska (Croatia), Westerbork (The Netherlands), Lety (Czech Republic), Bergen-Belsen (Germany) and numerous killing sites across Poland and Ukraine.
The Centre is also leading on a number of new international research projects focused on interdisciplinary approaches to the investigation of genocide and conflict. The Centre has developed a unique approach to the investigation of the Holocaust which draws upon techniques from archaeology, forensic investigation, history, geography, games technology and the digital humanities, amongst others.
This approach allows Holocaust camps and killing sites to be examined in a way that respects their historic, religious and commemorative significance by employing a predominantly non-invasive approach. Staff at the Centre continue to work closely with a number of international organisations, including the Matzevah Foundation, Fundacja Zampomniane, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, the Wiener Library and Rohatyn Jewish Heritage, as well staff at a wide range of Holocaust memorial sites and museums throughout Europe and the United States.