Unseen Histories and Unseen Helpers

Archaeological prospection uses non-invasive tools to scan over and beneath the ground, helping archaeologists map buried remains and rebuild lost landscapes without excavation. Yet the buried past is not only archaeology. Some hidden traces belong to dark heritage: painful sites and histories that perpetrators tried to erase. Using examples from Nazi German extermination camps and other atrocity sites, this talk explores how modern science can reveal hidden evidence, protect memory, confront denialism and offer a measure of closure to affected communities through prospection methods pioneered in Bradford.

This talk examines the evolving roles of humanitarian rescue dogs across time, from early search efforts to contemporary disaster response and future possibilities. It considers how these animals shape and are shaped by human systems of care, risk and responsibility. Bringing together history, geography technology, and ethics, it invites audiences to rethink rescue work as a more than human collaboration.