The Path to Death and Rebirth of the 1863-1864 Rebels.

Description

The book summarises a long and complex epic of archaeological, anthropological and historical research that began with the discovery of the burials on Gediminas Hill in early January 2017. The archaeologists of the National Museum of Lithuania had the responsibility to excavate, prepare and raise the rebel remains, to investigate the surroundings of this mass grave, to collect the tombs, and to analyse and attribute all the archaeological material. Historical and anthropological research was carried out in parallel with the ongoing archaeological investigations. Using the latest in medical forensics and genetic research, anthropologists were able to identify all the victims of Muravyov, the suppressor of the uprising.

The book consists of two parts. The first part is the story of the rebels. It is written on the basis of historiography, but primarily on archival sources. Of particular importance for the reconstruction of the path to death of the rebels buried on Gediminas Hill were their interrogation and trial files, military reports and other documents, as well as correspondence from Vilnius published in foreign newspapers about the executions of the rebellion's participants. The second part of the book is devoted to the former Vilnius fortress, where the remains of the rebels were discovered, archaeologists' discoveries, and the identification of the remains of the rebels.