
Historians hope a Holocaust-era pendant that was recently unearthed in a Nazi death camp in Poland might help them better understand the life and death of Anne Frank (pictured).
Anne Frank holds an important place in history as someone who brought the tragedies of the Holocaust to light. Thanks to her diary, the world now knows exclusive details on the Nazis’ mass extermination of the Jews, information that might have never been revealed were it not for the girl’s diary entries.
However, archaeologists continue to make new discoveries about Frank and the Holocaust that shed new light on what really happened to the six million Jews who shared her fate. Recently, a mysterious pendant that was unearthed at the Sobibor extermination camp got the archaeology community talking.
The Importance of the Sobibor Pendant
Historians hold the unearthed pendant in particular awe because it is identical to the pendant worn by Anne Frank. The pendant has the same wording and etching as well as the date of the initial owner’s date of birth. While it did not belong to Frank herself, it could have belonged to one of her relatives who likewise died in the Holocaust. The original owner and the place of her death, which was not Sobibor, have been identified. However, the pendant may have been brought to the Sobibor death camp by the victi’s mother or siblings.
The pendant is just the latest artifact unearthed at the death camp. Archaeologists and historians have also found significant if not poignant artifacts that range from a Mickey Mouse cup to a set of dentures and jewelry, all of which presumably belonged to the victims who were gassed at Sobibor. The artifacts in and of themselves tell a story of how the victims may have lived prior to their internment and eventual death at the camps.
They also reveal the historical accuracy of the Holocaust, a history that came to light despite the Nazis’ best attempts to hide their crimes. The remnants of burned buildings and gas chambers remain and are now being studied at length by the historical and archaeology communities. New details of what truly occurred during the Holocaust continue to be revealed as the excavation of Sobibors progresses.
Revealing New Details about the Life and Death of Anne Frank
Leaving aside the work being carried out at Sobibor, historians continue to devise new theories about the way Frank lived and died. Much of the information in her diary is undisputed and indeed happened as she recounted it. However, historians have discovered that she may have died weeks earlier than it was originally believed. Modern accounts say that she died in March 1945. However, based on new information, Anne may have died in early February 1945.
Moreover, new findings suggest she and her family may not have been betrayed by a new hire at her father’s company although that person remains a prime suspect. Historians are considering other culprits such as the wife of a Dutch humanitarian worker who was not sympathetic to the plight of Anne’s family. They are also checking the documents on two men who were less interested in hidden Jews than in people who committed ration fraud. Historians have yet to agree on a final determination about who betrayed the Frank family and ultimately sent them off to death in internment camps.
Historians’ continued work into learning what happened at Sobibor and inside the attic where Anne and her family hid shows that history is in fact fluid and that much like science it can be rewritten as new revelations emerge at historical sites like Sobibor. A simple pendant unearthed in a concentration camp is now enough to renew the conversation about what may have happened to Frank and other Holocaust victims.
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