Shackled Men, Unshackled Secrets: Revisiting Ancient Athens' Darkest Hours The discovery of a mass grave in Athens, dating back to the Archaic Period ( 700 to 460 BCE), has long been shrouded in mystery.
Researchers have debated whether the 79 men buried with their wrists shackled and raised over their heads were victims of foreign invaders or internal political violence.
A recent study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science sheds new light on this enigmatic grave, revealing that most of the men were locals from the surrounding region of Attica.