Exhumation and repatriation of the remains of the Ebo 4, Kwanza Sul Province, Angola

dc.contributor.authorSteyn, Maryna
dc.contributor.authorNienaber, Willem C.
dc.contributor.authorBoshoff, Willem Sterrenberg
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-15T10:41:56Z
dc.date.available2019-08-15T10:41:56Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractBetween 23 and 25 November 1975, four South African soldiers died during military involvement (Operation Savannah) in Angola. The events took place near Ebo, in central Angola. At the time, it was impossible for the SAforces to recover the bodies, and the exact location of the graves remained uncertain. Three individuals died when their reconnaissance aircraft was shot down, while the fourth died in an ambush of an armoured car. The aim of this paper is to report on the excavation and repatriation of the remains, illustrating the value of the application of sound forensic archaeological techniques to reconstruct events. The gravesite of three individuals was pointed out by members of the local community and was marked by wreckage on the surface. Severely burned skeletal remains and fragments of the aircraft were excavated at shallow depth. It was clear that these individuals were not formally buried and apparently pieces of wreckage and human remains were dragged into the burial pit. The victims most probably died on impact. The excavation was complex but with careful investigation, three different individuals could be distinguished. Samples were taken for DNA analysis, although extraction was unsuccessful. Despite information from a number of individuals and several test pits, the grave of the fourth individual who had died separately in the armoured car ambush could not be found. The remains of the Ebo individuals were returned to South Africa and placed in theWall of Remembrance at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, thus bringing closure for their relatives.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentAnatomyen_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2019en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.archaeologysa.co.za/saaben_ZA
dc.identifier.citationSteyn, M., Nienaber, W.C. & Boshoff, W.S. 2017, 'Exhumation and repatriation of the remains of the Ebo 4, Kwanza Sul Province, Angola', South African Archaeological Bulletin, vol. 72, no. 206, pp. 125-133.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0038-1969
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/71107
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherSouth African Archaeological Societyen_ZA
dc.rightsSouth African Archaeological Societyen_ZA
dc.subjectOperation Savannahen_ZA
dc.subjectSouth African Defence Forceen_ZA
dc.subjectMilitary historyen_ZA
dc.subjectAngolaen_ZA
dc.subjectEbo 4en_ZA
dc.subjectRepatriationen_ZA
dc.subjectSkeletal remainsen_ZA
dc.subjectPersonal identificationen_ZA
dc.subjectForensic archaeologyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherHealth sciences articles SDG-03
dc.subject.otherSDG-03: Good health and well-being
dc.subject.otherHealth sciences articles SDG-17
dc.subject.otherSDG-17: Partnerships for the goals
dc.titleExhumation and repatriation of the remains of the Ebo 4, Kwanza Sul Province, Angolaen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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