The phaleron bioarchaeological project: the people and the graves of the phaleron cemetery (CA. 8TH?5TH centuries BCE) [this collaborative research grant proposal is for manuscript preparation of an…

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Arizona State University $179,293 on October 1, 2026, under the Collaborative Research program (CFDA 45.035) to prepare a comprehensive manuscript documenting the Phaleron Bioarchaeological Project, a ten-year study of more than 1,000 individuals from an ancient burial ground near Athens dating to approximately the 8th–5th centuries BCE.

The award funds preparation of an integrated volume presenting detailed analysis of site structure, social relationships, demography, diet, health, trauma, and activity patterns across the cemetery's inhabitants. Individuals were analyzed using standard bioarchaeological methods and advanced techniques including micro-CT scanning, ancient DNA analysis, and isotopic analyses. The burial assemblage, excavated through rescue archaeology conducted by the Greek Ministry of Culture, reflects a broad cross-section of society and includes young men who died violently and were interred in mass graves, providing evidence of everyday life, inequality, and historical change in early Greece during a volatile period preceding the democratic reforms.

Work is performed in Arizona, USA, with a period of performance extending from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2028. Arizona State University's Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Administration holds the award as the administrative entity for the university.

The phaleron bioarchaeological project: the people and the graves of the phaleron cemetery (CA. 8TH?5TH centuries BCE) [this collaborative research grant proposal is for manuscript preparation of an integrated, comprehensive volume that culminates the & nbsp; ten-year phaleron bioarchaeological project, a study of more than 1,000 individuals from a remarkable ancient burial ground. This rescue archaeology project, conducted by the greek ministry of culture near the city of athens, uncovered a community dating to a little-known and volatile period immediately prior to the reforms that led to greek democracy. The burials reflect a broad cross-section of society, including young men who died violently and were interred in mass graves. All individuals have been analyzed using both standard bioarchaeological methods and state-of-the art techniques: micro-CT scanning, ancient DNA, and isotopic analyses. The resulting volume will illuminate everyday life, inequality, and historical change in early greece by presenting in great detail site structure, social relationships, demography, diet, health, trauma, and activity.]