Injury and Community in Archaic Greece

Few documentary sources survive for the Archaic Period (c. 700–480 B.C.) in Athens and the surrounding region, including the nearby port of Phaleron. Therefore, bioarchaeological insights from the Phaleron Burial Ground (PBG) are invaluable for this period of political and social transformation prior to the well-known Greek democracy of the Classical period. The PBG was the final resting place for individuals from different social classes, some of whom exhibit trauma and other evidence of stress. We present here the osteobiography of an individual who exhibits multiple examples of trauma and sequelae that include mandibular asymmetry, malocclusion, unilateral enlargement of a mandibular condyle, a healed cranial depression fracture, and a healed pelvic fracture. We first assess the maxillofacial and mandibular conditions and perform a differential diagnosis, including conditions such as osteochondroma, osteoma, osteosarcoma, and traumatic injury. We next evaluate additional evidence of trauma and discuss this individual within their community of care. We aim to provide a life history that links to broader societal trends. In addition, an argument will be made for this individual’s inclusion in the non-normative burial group at Phaleron due to the individual’s positioning and relationship with other nearby burials.