Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality And 21st Century Archaeology

With the exception of a not insignificant minority of revisionists and Holocaust deniers the record of this most tragic event in human history is extensively documented and well established. In recent years, however, archaeologists have begun to investigate what is left of the material record of the extermination centers. The reality is that the archaeological record is fragmentary and our knowledge of these centers is based on oral histories, maps and numerous written sources. Do we need to learn more? What can archaeology provide in terms of acquainting us with more detail and, perhaps more significantly, in learning about other sites of genocide whose records are even more fragmentary and unrecognized. Our special guest is Dr. Isaac Gilead, Professor of Archaeology at Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel. Dr. Gilead has been involved in the archaeology of the Nazi extermination centers at Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka and shares his experiences with the listenership.