Ancient Mass Grave Discovered Near Athens

News April 15, 2016

(Greek Culture Ministry)
SHARE:
Athens mass grave
(Greek Culture Ministry)

ATHENS, GREECE—Regional archaeological services director Stella Chryssoulaki of the Greek Ministry of Culture announced that archaeologists discovered two mass graves containing the lined-up skeletons of 80 men in an ancient cemetery at a construction site near Athens. The men are thought to have been young and healthy, due to the condition of their teeth. The hands of 36 of the men had been bound with iron. Some of them had been buried on their backs, while others were on their stomachs. Two vases found with the skeletons date to the mid seventh century B.C., “a period of great political turmoil in the region,” according to the Ministry statement reported by the AFP. Greece’s Central Archaeological Council is planning further investigations of the site. For more, go to "Greece's Biggest Tomb," which was one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2014.

  • Features March/April 2016

    France’s Roman Heritage

    Magnificent wall paintings discovered in present-day Arles speak to a previously unknown history

    Read Article
    (Copyright Remi Benali INRAP, musée départemental Arles antique)
  • Features March/April 2016

    Recovering Hidden Texts

    At the world’s oldest monastery, new technology is making long-lost manuscripts available to anyone with an Internet connection

    Read Article
    St. Catherine's Monastery
    Copyright St. Catherine's Monastery
  • Letter from Guatemala March/April 2016

    Maya Metropolis

    Beneath Guatemala’s modern capital lies the record of the rise and fall of an ancient city

    Read Article
    (Roger Atwood)
  • Artifacts March/April 2016

    Egyptian Ostracon

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Nigel Strudwick/Cambridge Theban Mission)