"Identifying Victims of The Great Terror (1936-1938) in Batumi, Georgia: excavation, analysis and repatriation of victims from a Stalin-era mass grave."

Join us for a powerful talk by Dr. Petra Banks, one of our own faculty members in the UAF Department of Anthropology, as she shares her work identifying victims of The Great Terror (1936–1938) in Batumi, Georgia. Working with the Georgian Recovery, Documentation, and Identification Project (GRDIP), Dr. Banks has helped excavate and analyze Stalin-era mass graves containing victims of political repression. Her presentation will explore the challenges of international fieldwork, the scientific and ethical complexities of identifying commingled human remains, and the profound impact of returning individuals to their families after decades of uncertainty.

This free, public event is part of the UAF Anthropology Colloquium Series. All are welcome to join and learn how archaeological and forensic research can help restore historical truth and human dignity.

"Identifying Victims of The Great Terror (1936-1938) in Batumi, Georgia: excavation, analysis and repatriation of victims from a Stalin-era mass grave" with Petra Banks
Date: Friday, November 7th
Time: 3:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Bunnell 302 & via Zoom
Zoom Link: https://alaska.zoom.us/j/87981587893

Abstract

The Great Terror or Great Purge (1936-1938) was an era in Soviet history where intellectuals, religious leaders, and dissidents of the soviet regime were “disappeared” and either sent to Gulags or executed. In The Republic of Georgia an estimated 30,000 went missing and 15,000 were killed. Recent excavations in Batumi revealed six mass graves encompassing approximately 200 individuals. Dr. Petra Banks, along with other Georgian Recovery, Documentation, and Identification Project (GRDIP) volunteers assisted Dr. Meri Gonashvili in the excavation of one of these graves in 2021 and returned to Tbilisi to help in the identification and resolution of commingling of the remains in 2022 and 2025. There are currently six individuals who have been identified, and at least three individuals have been repatriated to their families. This presentation will discuss the complexities of the excavation process in another country, the different strategies being employed in resolving the commingled remains, and the long-term goals for the identification and recovery of additional individuals. 

About the Speaker

Dr. Petra Banks is a forensic anthropologist and bioarchaeologist whose work focuses on skeletal trauma analysis and the excavation of human remains in both historical and modern contexts. Her research examines trauma patterns resulting from events such as falls, vehicle impacts, blasts, and aircraft crashes, with the goal of building a referential database to compare trauma across modern and unidentified cases. Dr. Banks has participated in excavations of historic cemeteries in Texas and a Stalin-era mass grave in the Republic of Georgia. As part of Operation Identification, she assisted in the recovery and identification of migrants who died crossing the U.S.–Mexico border. She currently serves as a consultant for local law enforcement and the Alaska State Medical Examiner, applying her expertise to ongoing forensic investigations.

About the UAF Department of Anthropology

The UAF Department of Anthropology explores the rich diversity of human experience—past and present—through archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Our students and faculty are dedicated to understanding people and cultures in Alaska and around the world, combining fieldwork, research, and community engagement to advance knowledge and inspire discovery.

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