Pathological lesions and their potential value in the identification of human remains recovered from the graves on the grounds of the former Soviet NKVD camp Speclagier No. 2 in Poznań, Poland

Abstract The archaeological investigations and exhumations of the skeletal remains were carried out on the site of the former NKVD camp called Speclagier No. 2 in Poznań, Poland. Work took place during two research seasons: 27 November–1 December 2017 and 7–18 May 2018. The research aimed to examine human remains, with particular emphasis on bone and dental pathology, to collect data to facilitate the victim identification. A total of 44 pits were discovered, 15 of which were grave pits, some single, some with the skeletal remains of up to 11 people. Twenty-eight of 44 examined skeletons disclosed different types of pathological lesions: numerous changes resulting from chronic inflammation, cases of ankylosing spondylitis and Klippel-Feil syndrome, healed fractures and some with signs of surgical treatment. One of the skeletons was 3D reconstructed based on postmortem CT data to visualize individual characteristics resulting from the advanced stage of disease changes.