War grave, human remains, skulls from the Mary Rose

[enrada]

Has anyone seen the article on BBC.COM "Mary Rose shipwreck skulls go online in 3D"

If any shipwreck discoverer attempted to show pictures or recover human remains, there would be the biggest outcry and rage from Archaeologists. The Mary Rose would be considered a war grave and any human remains would be 100% off limits. Even Spain is trying everything in their power(including war grave) to stop the recovery of the San Jose(1708) in Colombia when they realized that Colombia wisely did not sign the UNESCO Law of the Sea. Is Spain ashamed of the plundering and murdering they inflicted on civilizations in South America? Congratulations to this group for stepping out there and bringing all shipwreck objects including human remains to the surface to be seen by everyone. Let's see if any Arch's criticize them like they would if this was a private group displaying the skulls.

J.D.

 

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[seekerGH]

Actually, you can do that with permission. There are several references to remains that have been recovered, and how that is handled. There is the Hunley, Titanic, Pandora, and the Arizona. Most are left in situ, but there are some that have been recovered, and on display.

On exhibit:

Mary Rose:

The recovery of human remains poses the issue of how to deal reverently with the material. The ethical issues associated with treatment of human skeletal
remains have to be balanced against the legitimate needs of the historians and the general public who have a strong desire to understand their past. The analysis of
muscle attachments and human dentition can provide the forensic pathologist with unique data on the health and hygiene, diet, and general living habits of people in
past times (Rule 1982, Stirland 2002). Owing to the nature of the wreck site most of the human remains were not recovered as complete individuals but as collections
of skeletal material. A service was held at the Anglican Cathedral, Portsmouth in 1984 using a 1545 English Rite for the Burial of the Dead. The interment of the bones
of an ‘unknown sailor’ within the Cathedral provides a memorial to all those who perished with the ship. The service was co-celebrated with both Roman Catholic and
Anglican clergy. The bulk of the human remains from the wreck of the Mary Rose are in the eponymously named museum, isolated from other objects, kept within the
reserve collection under lock and key; access is restricted.
It was only through postexcavation sorting by the Mary Rose Trust’s anthropologist that 91 relatively complete individuals were isolated, with the remains of a total of 179 individuals being represented in the skeletal store.
Each year on the anniversary of the burial, members of the local community and the Trust lay a wreath on the tomb in Portsmouth Cathedral ( Jones 2008).

Batavia:

The decision to exhibit the skeletal material was only made after consultation with the Dutch government who, as legal inheritors of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC or the Dutch East India Company) and its assets, had the responsibilities of determining the fate of skeletal materials from the wrecks.

 

[enrada]

SeekerGH

Great information, but can you just imagine the outcry from Arch's if this was displayed by PRIVATE shipwreck searchers.

 

[Keith Jackson]

This topic brings up a point that I have wondered about for a while. I enjoy reading about archaeology and things related to it, but one thing that I see a lot is that whenever an underwater wreck is found there is a great hue and cry to leave it alone yet whenever something is found on land it is dug up. Just look at all the various cemeteries that are being examined all the time, but when remains are found underwater there is a cry to leave them there untouched. Why the double standard? I have other questions regarding treatment of archaeological sites, but I will leave that for another time.

 

[enrada]

If you have noticed the hue and cry comes from Archaeologists and are directed towards private(non institutional) projects. Refer to one of my earlier posts "in situ" and you can really understand the double standard.

 

[seekerGH]

Great information, but can you just imagine the outcry from Arch's if this was displayed by PRIVATE shipwreck searchers.

There is outcry from Arch's when arch's display them, let alone private researchers. As seen in the Odyssey case, showing the recovery of a skull on TV created many problems for them.