At least 80 skelekons lie in a mass grave in an ancient greek cemetery, their wrists clamped by iron shackles.They are the vivtims, say archaeologists of a mass execution. But who they were, how they got there and why they appear to have been buried with a measure of respect-remains a mystery.They were found earlier this year in part of the falyron delta necroplois-a large ancient cemetery unearthed during the construction of a national opera house and library between downtown a thén and the port of piraeus.
Few people have been able to get in to have a close look.
But on a rare tour of the site, archaeologists carefully showed reuters the skeletons, some lying in a long neat row in the dug-out sandy ground, others piled on top of each other, arms and legs twisted with their iaws hanging open.“They have been executed, all in the same manner. But they have been buried with respect”, Dr.Stella chryssoulaki, head of excavations, said.“They are all tied at the hands with handcuffs and most of them are verry very young and in a very good state of health when they were executed.”The experts hope DNA testing and research by anthropologists will uncover exactly how the rows of people died. Whatever happened was violent-most had their arms bound above their heads, the wrists tied together.But the orderly way they have been buried suggest these were more than slaves or common criminals.
“ɪᴛ ɪs ᴀ ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ ᴏғ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴜɴʀᴇsᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴀᴛʜᴇɴɪᴀɴ sᴏᴄɪᴇᴛʏ, ᴀ ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀɪsᴛᴏᴄʀᴀᴛs, ɴᴏʙʟᴇs, ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ,” sᴀɪᴅ ᴄʜʀʏssᴏᴜʟᴀᴋɪ.
ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴏɴɢᴇsᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴏʀɪᴇs ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛᴇʀs ᴏғ ᴄʏʟᴏɴ, ᴀɴ ᴀᴛʜᴇɴɪᴀɴ ɴᴏʙʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʟʏᴍᴘɪᴄ ᴄʜᴀᴍᴘɪᴏɴ ᴡʜᴏ sᴛᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴄᴏᴜᴘ ɪɴ ᴀᴛʜᴇɴs ɪɴ 𝟼𝟹𝟸 ʙᴄ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴏғ ʜɪs ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ-ɪɴ-ʟᴀᴡ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʏʀᴀɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴍᴇɢᴀʀᴀ.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜᴘ ғᴀɪʟᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʏʟᴏɴ ʜɪᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏᴘᴏʟɪs. ʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ.
“ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɴᴀ ᴛᴇsᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ sᴋᴇʟᴇᴛᴏɴs ᴡᴇ ᴍᴀʏ ᴄᴏɴғɪʀᴍ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜɪs ʜʏᴘᴏᴛʜᴇsɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴀsᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ … ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴜᴘ … ᴀɴ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ʙʏ ᴀ ɴᴏʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ʙʏ ғᴏʀᴄᴇ,” sᴀɪᴅ ᴄʜʀʏssᴏᴜʟᴀᴋɪ.
ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 𝟷,𝟻𝟶𝟶 ʙᴏᴅɪᴇs ʟɪᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴄᴇᴍᴇᴛᴇʀʏ, sᴏᴍᴇ ɪɴғᴀɴᴛs ʟᴀɪᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇsᴛ ɪɴ ᴄᴇʀᴀᴍɪᴄ ᴘᴏᴛs, ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛs ʙᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ғᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴘʏʀᴇs ᴏʀ ʙᴜʀɪᴇᴅ ɪɴ sᴛᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴏғғɪɴs. ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀsᴋᴇᴛ ɪs ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ᴡᴏᴏᴅᴇɴ ʙᴏᴀᴛ.
ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀᴛʜᴇɴs’ ʀᴇɴᴏᴡɴᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ᴋᴇʀᴀᴍᴇɪᴋᴏs ᴄᴇᴍᴇᴛᴇʀʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ ʀᴇsᴛɪɴɢ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪɴᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ɢʀᴇᴇᴋs, ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴʜᴀʙɪᴛᴀɴᴛs ᴏғ ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀʀ ɴᴇɪɢʜʙᴏᴜʀʜᴏᴏᴅs.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪɢ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴀ 𝟷𝟽𝟶,𝟶𝟶𝟶 sǫ ᴍ ʟᴀɴᴅsᴄᴀᴘᴇᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴋ, sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴀsᴛ ɴᴇᴡ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ ʟɪʙʀᴀʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢs ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀᴠʀᴏs ɴɪᴀʀᴄʜᴏs ᴘʜɪʟᴀɴᴛʜʀᴏᴘɪᴄ ғᴏᴜɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
ʜɪɢʜ-ʀɪsᴇ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴅᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴋʏʟɪɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏʀᴛʜ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴀ ɴᴏɪsʏ ᴍᴏᴛᴏʀᴡᴀʏ sɴᴀᴋᴇs ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴛᴇ’s ᴇᴀsᴛ sɪᴅᴇ.
ᴄʜʀʏssᴏᴜʟᴀᴋɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛs ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ᴀ ᴍᴜsᴇᴜᴍ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴏᴛ, ᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴜᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀɪʟʏ ʟɪᴠᴇs ᴏғ ᴀᴛʜᴇɴɪᴀɴs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇʀᴀ.
“ᴀ ᴄᴇᴍᴇᴛᴇʀʏ ɪs ᴀ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜ ɪɴ ᴀɴᴛɪǫᴜɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴀss ғʀᴏᴍ ʟɪғᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ,” sʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ
