Skeletal Evidence for the Impact of Battle on Soldiers
By Maria Liston
Abstract: Few battle cemeteries have been excavated and those that have been were, for the most part, dug before skeletal biology was a part of Mediterranean archaeology. In the Athenian Agora excavations, there are wells in which skeletons were found clearly associated with debris from the clean-up of the city after the Herulian attack. Trauma from interpersonal violence, whether in warfare, domestic conflict, or individual fights, tends to occur in certain patterns, with some variation according to the nature of the conflict and the weapons used. The skeletons of individuals who died at Chaironeia and in the Herulian sack of Athens exhibit these patterns, with some variation due to the roles of the victims in the violence. Non-combatants, particularly women and children, are likely to be victims in urban warfare. There is evidence for the mutilation of the bodies of fallen soldiers, and brutal treatment of women and children in urban battles.
Chapter in New Approaches to Greek and Roman Warfare, ed. Lee L. Brice, pp.81-94, John Wiley & Sons, 2019.