Secondary Context
Definition
A location where remains have been deposited after being moved from the primary deposition site. Non-disturbance of secondary contexts means not excavating or sampling material that might provide evidence of this movement until the investigative rationale for doing so is clear and documented.
- Definition
- Location where remains are deposited after moving from the primary site
- Governing principle
- Non-disturbance until investigative rationale is documented
- Field
- Forensic archaeology, ethics and human-rights investigations
Common questions
Why does disturbing a secondary context risk losing evidence that a primary context would not?+
A secondary context's own undisturbed state, meaning exactly how and where remains ended up after being moved, can itself be evidence of the manner and route of that movement, so excavating or sampling before understanding this risks destroying proof of transport, concealment, or the sequence of events between the original death and final deposition.
How does an investigator decide when disturbing a secondary context becomes justified?+
The non-disturbance principle calls for a documented investigative rationale before any excavation or sampling, meaning the team articulates what specific question the disturbance will answer and why that answer cannot be obtained non-invasively first, which creates an auditable justification rather than routine or convenience-driven excavation.
In human-rights investigations, why does context matter as much as identifying the remains themselves?+
Establishing whether a site is primary or secondary, and documenting the secondary context's undisturbed condition, can support or refute claims about how victims died and were moved, which matters for accountability and prosecution even after individual identification has already been achieved through other means.
Related terms
- Ante-Mortem Data (AMD)
- Information gathered from families and other sources about a missing person before their remains are identified: physical descriptions, medical and dental records,...
- Dignity of Remains
- The ethical principle that human remains should be handled with care and respect regardless of the circumstances of death or the condition...
- ICRC
- The International Committee of the Red Cross, an independent humanitarian organisation that has developed widely referenced guidelines on the handling of the...
- Repatriation
- The return of human remains, or cultural objects associated with those remains, to the country, community, or family from which they originate....
- Victim Family Liaison
- The structured process of maintaining communication between an investigation team and the relatives of victims or missing persons. Effective liaison involves both...