Post by UKarchaeology on Apr 2, 2016 21:39:21 GMT
An ancient cemetery south of Athens containing more than 1,500 skeletons may provide important clues for life in the ancient city
An ancient cemetery south of Athens containing more than 1,500 skeletons may provide important clues for life in the ancient city, says a report in Forbes.
The mass burial site in Faliro, a port of Athens in classical times, includes people who were tossed face-down into a pit, their hands shackled behind their backs.
Kristina Killgrove reports for Forbes that to learn more about these deviant burials and their relationship to Greek state formation, an international team of archaeologists is cleaning, recording, and analyzing the skeletons.
Excavation at the site began nearly a century ago, with a mass grave – often referred to as containing the “captives of Phaleron” because of the presence of metal handcuffs – excavated by the Greek Archaeological Service.
But large-scale excavation of almost an acre of Faliro was carried out between 2012-2016 by the Department of Antiquities of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, led by archaeologist Stella Chrysoulaki.
Full story: www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/culture/15243-shackled-skeletons-at-ancient-athens-cemetery-puzzle-archaeologists.html