Shackled men in 2,600-year-old Greek mass graves were likely locals, archaeologists find

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In 2016, archaeologists working at the Phaleron Burial Ground, part of the ancient Attica region, uncovered an astonishing sight: three mass graves dating to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE containing the skeletons of 79 adult men. Many were bound together with metal shackles.

Since their discovery, scholars have debated who these men were, with theories ranging from foreign invaders and pirates to political rebels or local criminals. A new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports is providing more details about their identities. To get some answers, a team of scientists from the U.S. and Greece studied the teeth of 163 individuals buried at Phaleron, including 66 of the 79 men in the three graves.

In particular, the researchers measured strontium isotopes in tooth enamel. The reason for this is that enamel does not change after it forms, so its chemical makeup locks in a permanent record of the local geology, food and water where someone grew up. It turns out that 64 of 66 (96.9%) of the shackled men were local to Attica, matching the general population, in which 156 of 163 (95.7%) were also local.

This appears to rule out a popular theory that the mass grave held foreign invaders or other outsiders. "Contrary to our expectation, those interred in the Esplanada [mass graves] are largely local to the Attic region," write the study authors in their paper. These findings also add to evidence from historical records and archaeological research suggesting that Archaic Attica experienced lower levels of migration compared with other parts of the ancient Mediterranean world.

So who were these people? In their study, the researchers offer a few explanations based on the evidence. Because the men were local, they could have been victims of internal political strife or state-sanctioned executions rather than conflicts with outsiders.

They may have been on the losing side of a failed coup, as power struggles in the region around this time are well documented. Alternatively, they could have been local criminals executed together in a public display. "It appears that the social violence represented by the Esplanada was directed primarily inward, toward individuals who were likely part of the social and physical landscape of Attica," the researchers say.