SURVEYS HAVE GONE TO THE DOGS IN RICHMOND, VA

Multi-instrument approaches to determine the location of unmarked cemeteries have long been utilized by archaeologists. Archaeology, an interdisciplinary discipline often borrows from a variety of disciplines, notably the shallow surface geophysical instruments developed by geologists and soil scientists. Over the last two decades surveys for unmarked burials on archaeologically sensitive sites have increasingly incorporated a powerful biosensor, the olfactory system of dogs.

The dogs known as archaeological human remains detection dogs or AHRDDs are used in these surveys and have been trained to respond to human decomposition events of archaeological relevance. This paper will show how the inclusion of AHRDD surveys in the greater Richmond Virginia area has allowed for the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic surveys to be focused on concentrated areas and to provide definition to potential subsurface targets. The case studies presented will include both large acreage surveys and a case of a historically recorded cemetery having been destroyed.