Archaeology
Missing WWII USAF airman recovered from crash site in Sicily
The Cranfield Forensic Institute, working in collaboration with the POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), has assisted in the identification and recovery of a missing USAF airman near Caltagirone, Sicily.
In 1943, Second Lieutenant Allan W. Knepper (age 27) of the United States Air Force, took off in his P-38 Lightning from a base in Tunisia. The P-38 is a single-seat, twin piston-engined aircraft used for various aerial combat roles, including as a highly effective fighter-bomber.
His squadron was tasked with attacking Axis forces in support of the U.S. Army’s beach landings in Sicily. As they approached their target, intense anti-aircraft fire hit the squadron and Knepper’s aircraft was struck by flak and crashed.
Contemporary reports noted the absence of a parachute, indicating that Knepper died upon impact and was declared missing in action.
For 80 years, the location of the crash site was lost to history, until researchers from the DPAA at the United States National Archives, uncovered a German report detailing the crash of two P-38 planes.
This report enabled archaeologists to pinpoint Knepper’s likely crash site, where extensive research and excavations have recovered material evidence linked to Knepper for identification.
Dr David Errickson, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Anthropology at Cranfield University’s Forensic Institute, said: “At the crash site, you have to use the pattern of the wreckage to judge the location of where the pilot will most likely be. In the case of a single occupant fighter plane such as this, it’s easier because you’re only looking for one person, but in something larger like a bomber it can be much more difficult.”
Everything found at the crash site has been meticulously recorded and handed over to the local authorities – in this case the Italian police – who will then transfer the evidence over to either the US Embassy or direct to the DPAA lab for DNA analysis and identification.
According to the researchers, the process took 8 years from the start of the recovery, until the DPAA was able to officially confirm that Lieutenant Allan W. Knepper had been identified.
His remains have been returned to his hometown of Lewiston, Idaho for burial, and a rosette has been marked alongside his name on the Tablets of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery to indicate that he has now been accounted for.
Header Image Credit : P-38 – Public Domain
Sources : Cranfield University
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists are excavating a fortified settlement associated with the Linear Pottery Culture at Eilsleben in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
The Linear Pottery Culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period from 5500 to 4500 BC.
The site at Eilsleben was first identified during the 1920’s, revealing one of Central Europe’s largest Neolithic settlements.
Excavations conducted from 1974 to 1989 unearthed the remnants of ancient homes, numerous burials, and pits likely used for ritualistic human and animal sacrifices.
The settlement phases of the site can be divided into two distinct periods.
The earliest phase features north-south oriented dwellings, as well as remnants of a defensive trench measuring up to 3 metres in width. In the later phase, a central spring was fortified with a rampart, palisade and ditch, with further structural changes to form a giant trapezoidal structure.
Archaeologists from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt recently excavated a 200-square-metre area to carry out a sediment analysis, along with micromorphological and phytolith studies.
Using these modern scientific methods, the researchers hope to understand the site formation, as well as the levels of occupational activity within the wider settlement area.
Excavations also found extensive find material, consisting of pottery vessel fragments, stone implements (e.g., blades, arrowheads, axes) and bone and antler objects.
According to the archaeologists, the find material is providing deeper insights into the interactions between the region’s earliest farmers in the fertile Magdeburg Börde and the contemporary hunter-gatherer societies.
The LDA said: “The excavations are already showing that the Neolithic settlement remains are surprisingly well preserved. The excavators found post holes of houses as well as the remains of wattle and daub house walls. The concentrations of finds are enabling conclusions to be drawn about the use of the spaces within the settlement.”
Header Image Credit : LDA
Sources : State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the APSARA National Authority have uncovered a guardian statue at the Banteay Prey Nokor temple complex in Kompong Cham, Cambodia.
Known locally as the temple of “Wat Nokor in Khum of Kompong Siem”, or “Wat Angkor”, Banteay Prey Nokor was constructed during the reign of Jayavarman VII (AD 1181–1218), the first king devoted to Buddhism in the Khmer Empire.
The complex covers an area of 37 acres and consists of a central tower surrounded by four laterite wall enclosures made from sandstone and laterite.
In addition to being the largest ancient temple complex in Kampong Cham Province, it has several distinguishing features. One of the most notable is its construction from black sandstone, which sets it apart from other temples of the period, typically built from brick or reddish sandstone.
Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith
Archaeologists from the Department of Preservation and Archaeology at the APSARA Authority recently excavated one of the gateways of Banteay Prey Nokor, clearing away layers of rubble from the collapsed upper structure.
Upon removing the rubble material, a guardian door statue was uncovered to the right of the eastern entrance to the gateway. The statue is broken into six pieces – breaking at the neck, the left forearm, the waist, and below the knees of both legs.
According to the researchers, the statue, which originally stood at a height of around 1.6 metres, is of the Bayon style, in reference to the Bayon state temple of Jayavarman VII at the centre of Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom.
“The sandstone gate guardian will now be stored at the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum,” Angkor Wat’s heritage police said in a statement. “It will be preserved and studied further.”
Header Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith
Sources : APSARA National Authority
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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