Investigating the Residential History of the Esplanada Mass Graves at Phaleron, Greece

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Bioarchaeology of the Phaleron Cemetery, Archaic Greece: Current Research and Insights" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Cemeteries are spaces in which social and political identities are publicly negotiated between the living and the dead. Three mass graves, termed the “Esplanada,” at the Phaleron cemetery, Greece, are a clear and public statement that has captured significant attention since they were first uncovered. A total of 79 individuals were buried in long rows and bound with metal shackles, calling into question who they were, where they came from, and why they were given nonnormative burial treatment. This study investigates the residential history of 47 of these individuals using strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr=0.709777, standard deviation=0.003944) and proposes a novel method for interpreting radiogenic strontium results to better handle the complex geological variability in the Aegean. From the bioavailable range of values, the authors generate a probability that individuals in the study spent their early life in this area, allowing for an estimation of locality when bioavailable strontium ranges overlap between adjacent areas. Each individual will have a likelihood of locality assigned that will aid in determining residential history. Refining the interpretation of strontium isotopic values by adding probability will thus enable more nuanced interpretation of the mobility and social identities of those buried in the mass graves at Phaleron.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Bioarchaeology of the Phaleron Cemetery, Archaic Greece: Current Research and Insights   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38599.0