🔬 A 2026 strontium isotope study of 66 shackled men from Overstone Anglo-Saxon Cemetery near Athens found 64 matched local Attican values, just like other inhabitants. The 7th century BCE burial predates Athenian democracy, suggesting internal violence. Cylon's coup connection remains one possible explanation.
Strontium isotope study reveals shackled Phaleron men were locals
EnglandBioarchaeologyNew Research
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Key facts
- In 2016, archaeologists uncovered 79 shackled men buried in three rows at an ancient cemetery beside Phaleron Bay, south of Athens, on the site of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
- The burials date to the 7th century BCE, predating Athenian democracy.
- A study publicized in summer 2026 analyzed strontium isotope ratios in remains from 66 of the shackled men and compared them with 97 other cemetery inhabitants.
- 64 of 66 shackled men tested had strontium isotope values consistent with Attica, showing they were not significantly different from the cemetery's other inhabitants.
- The authors interpret the results as evidence of violence against a largely local population; the connection to Cylon's failed coup remains one possible explanation.
Sources
A 3D-model of a mass-grave found in the Phaleron Delta ...academia.edu
The shackled men of Phaleron: A 3D-model of a mass-grave found in the Phaleron Delta Cemetery. Introduction to the discovery.
Teeth Reveal That Ancient Greek Mass Grave Victims Were ...bioscience.com.pk
Archaeologists uncovered a grim scene in 2016 on the coast of Athens at Phaleron: 79 adult males lying in a shallow trench, many still bound by ...
Overview of the mass graves. | Download Scientific Diagramresearchgate.net
... To date, more than 1700 skeletons have been excavated in Phaleron, arranged either in mass or individual burials (Ingvarsson-Sundström and Backstrom, 2019; ...
Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Romepublicera.kb.se
by A Ingvarsson · 2019 · Cited by 32 — The material consists of 79 skeletons; the individuals were deposited in three rows in the periphery of the large Archaic cemetery at Phaleron, ...
Day: August 3, 2016thehistoryblog.com
80 shackled skeletons found in ancient mass graves · August 3, 2016 · Ancient. Archaeologists excavating the Falyron Delta necropolis in Athens ...
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