ATHENS, March 7 — The 2,700-year-old remains of dozens of youths put to death in a mass execution in ancient Athens will go on display in a newly built space later this year, a culture ministry official said yesterday.
The ancient cemetery in Faliro, south of the Greek capital, has been found to contain around 2,000 dead of all ages, in addition to a number of buried horses.
In 2016, archaeologists found 79 men arranged in three trenches, tied together in groups. Many had corroded iron shackles around their wrists, and most were young adults or juveniles.
“They were in their prime and in very good physical condition,” Stella Chrisoulaki, the senior archaeologist supervising the project, told a conference.
All had received a killing blow at the base of the skull with a blunt instrument, she said.
Dubbed the “Captives of Faliro” by the media, the skeletons were subsequently relocated for their protection.
Chrisoulaki said they would now be placed in a protective display area, which she told AFP would be delivered “at the end of summer.”
The men lived in the seventh century BC, a period of turmoil in ancient Athens.
Experts believe they were likely supporters of the Cylonian conspiracy—a failed attempt to seize power in the city—who were subsequently put to death.
According to the Swedish Archaeological Institute at Athens, which helped to investigate the finds, it is the earliest known mass burial of executed people in the greater Athens area.
Archaeology Magazine had ranked the “Captives” among the top 10 discoveries of 2016.
Most of the ancient cemetery is believed to lie beneath a cultural centre completed a decade ago.
It contains scores of other dead who were also likely tortured before being killed. Some were buried face-down in a mark of disrespect, others bound hand and foot like cattle.
Separately, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens is studying 1,100 individuals from the site and will publish its findings in 2028, Chrisoulaki said. — AFP
