Bioarchaeological field analysis of human remains from the mass graves at Phaleron, Greece
(2019) In Opuscula 12. p.7-158- Abstract
In 2016, archaeological excavations undertaken by the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica, Piraeus and Islands 3.8 km south-west of Athens, Greece, revealed mass burials of 79 skeletons in three rows. The burials are dated to the 7th century BC. The anthropological field documentation was undertaken by The Swedish Institute of Athens, and followed established bioarchaeological protocols regarding taphonomic processes, age, sex, injuries, and pathological changes. The descriptions and interpretations should be regarded as preliminary field observations. A majority of the individuals were young adult or juvenile males, most of them without signs of active disease and with a generally good oral health status, but with corroded iron... (More)
In 2016, archaeological excavations undertaken by the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica, Piraeus and Islands 3.8 km south-west of Athens, Greece, revealed mass burials of 79 skeletons in three rows. The burials are dated to the 7th century BC. The anthropological field documentation was undertaken by The Swedish Institute of Athens, and followed established bioarchaeological protocols regarding taphonomic processes, age, sex, injuries, and pathological changes. The descriptions and interpretations should be regarded as preliminary field observations. A majority of the individuals were young adult or juvenile males, most of them without signs of active disease and with a generally good oral health status, but with corroded iron shackles around their wrists. Cause of death could not be determined although extensive and likely perimortem fractures were observed. The only object related to injury and/or possible cause of death was an arrowhead found in the chest of one of the skeletons. Why and where the individuals were killed is a matter of conjecture; the observations from the field documentation neither validate, nor disprove the hypothesis that these individuals were captives and victims of the socalled "Cylonian conspiracy" in the 7th century BC.
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- author
- Ingvarsson, Anne ; Bäckström, Ylva LU ; Chryssoulaki, Stella ; Linderholm, Anna ; Kjellström, Anna ; Lagerholm, Vendela Kempe and Krzewińska, Maja
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Archaic, Greece, Mass graves, Osteology, Phaleron
- in
- Opuscula
- volume
- 12
- article number
- 02
- pages
- 152 pages
- publisher
- Editorial Committee of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85084754532
- ISSN
- 2000-0898
- DOI
- 10.30549/opathrom-12-02
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 69047411-dda8-4940-9b96-66152c21d205
- date added to LUP
- 2020-05-26 13:57:54
- date last changed
- 2022-04-18 22:33:10
@article{69047411-dda8-4940-9b96-66152c21d205,
abstract = {{<p>In 2016, archaeological excavations undertaken by the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica, Piraeus and Islands 3.8 km south-west of Athens, Greece, revealed mass burials of 79 skeletons in three rows. The burials are dated to the 7th century BC. The anthropological field documentation was undertaken by The Swedish Institute of Athens, and followed established bioarchaeological protocols regarding taphonomic processes, age, sex, injuries, and pathological changes. The descriptions and interpretations should be regarded as preliminary field observations. A majority of the individuals were young adult or juvenile males, most of them without signs of active disease and with a generally good oral health status, but with corroded iron shackles around their wrists. Cause of death could not be determined although extensive and likely perimortem fractures were observed. The only object related to injury and/or possible cause of death was an arrowhead found in the chest of one of the skeletons. Why and where the individuals were killed is a matter of conjecture; the observations from the field documentation neither validate, nor disprove the hypothesis that these individuals were captives and victims of the socalled "Cylonian conspiracy" in the 7th century BC.</p>}},
author = {{Ingvarsson, Anne and Bäckström, Ylva and Chryssoulaki, Stella and Linderholm, Anna and Kjellström, Anna and Lagerholm, Vendela Kempe and Krzewińska, Maja}},
issn = {{2000-0898}},
keywords = {{Archaic; Greece; Mass graves; Osteology; Phaleron}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{7--158}},
publisher = {{Editorial Committee of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome}},
series = {{Opuscula}},
title = {{Bioarchaeological field analysis of human remains from the mass graves at Phaleron, Greece}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-12-02}},
doi = {{10.30549/opathrom-12-02}},
volume = {{12}},
year = {{2019}},
}