Shackled
skeleto s,
PC:
Athe s
Jou al
of
Histo y,
2021
I
2016,
a chaeologists
diggi g
at
the
Phale o
cemete y
o
the
coast
ea
Athe s
u cove ed
o e
of
the
most
u settli g
fi ds
i
G eek
a chaeology,
a
mass
g ave
holdi g
ea ly
80
adult
me ,
ma y
still
shackled
at
the
w ists
with
i o
est ai ts.
The
me ,
k ow
as
the
Espla ada
g oup,
had
bee
laid
out
i
o de ly
ows
a d
appea ed
to
have
died
viole tly,
spa ki g
a
decade
of
debate
ove
who
they
we e.
Some
esea che s
a gued
they
we e
fo eig
fighte s
o
me ce a ies
b ought
i to
Attica
du i g
a
pe iod
of
political
tu moil,
while
othe s
suspected
they
we e
victims
of
a
ea ly
Athe ia
state
exe cisi g
ew
powe s
of
collective
pu ishme t.
A
f esh
scie tific
study
has
ow
eexami ed
thei
emai s
usi g
chemical
a alysis
of
tooth
e amel,
a d
the
esults
ove tu
the
outside
theo y
e ti ely,
showi g
that
the
shackled
me
we e
almost
ce tai ly
locals
who
g ew
up
i
the
ve y
egio
whe e
they
we e
late
executed
a d
bu ied.
How
esea che s
eexami ed
the
Phale o
mass
g ave
How
esea che s
eexami ed
the
Phale o
mass
g ave
The
Espla ada
mass
g ave
fo ms
pa t
of
the
la ge
Phale o
bu ial
g ou d,
a
cemete y
i
use
f om
a ou d
the
8th
to
the
5th
ce tu y
BC
that
has
yielded
some
of
the
ichest
evide ce
of
daily
life
a d
death
i
A chaic
Athe s.
La ge-scale
excavatio
of
the
site
was
ca ied
out
betwee
2012
a d
2016
by
the
Depa tme t
of
A tiquities
of
the
Helle ic
Mi ist y
of
Cultu e,
led
by
a chaeologist
Stella
Ch yssoulaki.
Withi
the
bu ial
g ou d,
the
Espla ada
g oup
stood
out
because
of
how
the
me
had
died
a d
how
they
had
bee
bu ied,
laid
ca efully
i
th ee
pa allel
ows
athe
tha
dumped
haphaza dly,
with
ma y
still
bou d
by
metal
shackles
at
the
w ists.
Schola s
had
lo g
dated
thei
deaths
to
the
e d
of
the
seve th
ce tu y
BC,
a
tu bule t
pe iod
whe
Athe s
was
g appli g
with
powe
st uggles
that
would
eve tually
shape
its
path
towa ds
democ acy,
but
without
di ect
evide ce
of
the
me ‘s
o igi s,
thei
ide tity
emai ed
a
matte
of
speculatio
athe
tha
fact.
What
the
ew
st o tium
isotope
study
fou d
What
the
ew
st o tium
isotope
study
fou d
To
settle
the
questio ,
a
esea ch
team
led
by
Julia e
R.
Stame
of
A izo a
State
U ive sity
tu ed
to
st o tium
isotope
a alysis,
a
tech ique
that
eads
a
chemical
sig atu e
locked
i to
tooth
e amel
du i g
childhood.
St o tium
is
a
atu ally
occu i g
eleme t
that
va ies
with
local
geology
a d
e te s
the
body
th ough
food
a d
wate ,
mea i g
the
atio
p ese ved
i
a
pe so ‘s
teeth
eflects
whe e
they
spe t
thei
ea ly
yea s,
lo g
befo e
thei
death.
The
study,
titled
I vestigati g
the
Reside tial
Histo y
of
the
Espla ada
Mass
G aves
at
Phale o ,
G eece
a d
published
i
the
jou al
Jou al
of
A chaeological
Scie ce:
Repo ts,
exami ed
e amel
samples
f om
66
of
the
shackled
me
alo gside
97
othe
i dividuals
bu ied
elsewhe e
i
the
Phale o
cemete y,
givi g
the
esea che s
a
wide
local
populatio
to
compa e
agai st.
Usi g
two
sepa ate
statistical
methods,
the
team
fou d
that
the
vast
majo ity
of
the
Espla ada
me ,
mo e
tha
95
pe
ce t
by
the
most
co se vative
measu e,
ca ied
st o tium
sig atu es
co siste t
with
g owi g
up
i
the
su ou di g
egio
of
Attica
athe
tha
somewhe e
fu the
afield.
Why
the
fi di gs
cha ge
the
sto y
of
the
shackled
me
Why
the
fi di gs
cha ge
the
sto y
of
the
shackled
me
The
close ess
betwee
the
Espla ada
g oup
a d
the
wide
Phale o
populatio
is
the
detail
that
eshapes
the
e ti e
a ative.
If
the
shackled
me
had
bee
fo eig
me ce a ies
o
i vade s
swept
up
i
a
failed
coup,
esea che s
would
have
expected
a
oticeably
highe
sha e
of
o -local
st o tium
values
amo g
them,
eflecti g
childhoods
spe t
outside
Attica.
I stead,
thei
chemical
p ofiles
ble d
almost
seamlessly
i to
the
b oade
cemete y
sample,
poi ti g
to
viole ce
that
o igi ated
f om
withi
the
commu ity
itself
athe
tha
f om
a
outside
th eat.
Wo ki g
alo gside
Stame
we e
classicist
Matthew
Simo to
of
P i ceto
U ive sity
a d
a chaeologist
Stella
Ch yssoulaki,
who
helped
lead
the
o igi al
excavatio s,
givi g
the
study
both
a
scie tific
a d
a
o -site
a chaeological
pe spective.
The
fi di gs
do
ot
explai
exactly
why
the
me
we e
executed,
whethe
as
pu ishme t
fo
a
political
up isi g
o
as
casualties
of
a
wide
civic
c isis,
but
they
close
the
doo
o
the
idea
that
Athe s
tu ed
its
shackles
o
outside s.
A
ce tu y
of
debate
has
i stead
poi ted
towa ds
a
ha de
t uth:
that
i
that
viole t
chapte
of
its
histo y,
the
city’s
ow
people
we e
made
to
a swe
fo
its
u est.