Tom Holland is an English historian, author, and broadcaster. He has written several books on classical and religious history, including Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic, Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, In the Shadow of the Sword, and Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar. His latest book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World explores the impact of Christianity on Western society and its role in shaping the modern world. He also co-hosts a popular podcast geared towards history lovers called The Rest is History with compatriot Dominic Sandbrook — also a historian.

WION caught up with Holland at the recently concluded 2023 edition of Jaipur Literature Festival. Full of infectious enthusiasm and energy about his work, the tall, slim scholar is wonderfully insightful to listen to, as the attendees at his impromptu session on Persian Empire during the festival will corroborate. As suits his oeuvre, I asked him questions on a variety of historical topics.

While every book of Holland is meticulously well-written and researched, for me, it is his brilliant&nbsp;translation of a book written by a man 2500 years ago that remains the favourite. The man is Herodotus and the book is called, simply, Histories.

Regarded as the progenitor of the entire discipline of history, Herodotus' Histories is regarded as the first work of history in Western literature. As opposed to epics that were prevalent at that time, Histories employed the historical method, including emphasising the importance of eyewitness accounts and critical examination of sources. He even expresses suspicion at some of the more far-fetched accounts as Holland notes in his preface.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/indians-at-oscars-a-brief-history-555756">Indians at Oscars: A brief history</a>

<h2>How the west saw India and Indians in the ancient era</h2>

A sprawling work, Histories is also a detailed account of the conflicts between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states like Sparta and Athens in the 5th century BCE. It also mentions India, or lands across the Indus. India was a distant and largely unknown land for the Greeks, with a culture and customs that were vastly different from those of the Greeks. There was limited interaction and a lack of direct knowledge of the land as only hardy adventurers travelled such vast distances. And thus it is not really surprising that to a reader of Herodotus, India would have appeared as almost akin to a fantasy land. There were tales of fabulous wealth as well as stories of strange creatures, such as the gold-digging ants and the dog-headed men.
<img alt="herodotus" data-caption="Herodotus is regarded as the first historian." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f5ff0a67-b2e2-49c7-83b3-7afa4cf97e21" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/herodotus.png" />
Holland tells WION, "You listen to Herodotus talking about India, and you think, 'what is he on!'&nbsp;What's amazing is that he knows anything about India at all, because he's separated by thousands of miles from India. And there are some things that he gets right. For example, he gets right that there are Indians who are vegetarian. And he has an awareness that there are teachers in India, and that this is important. Obviously, there are all kinds of mad stuff like the semen of Indians is black, and that they only ever have sex in public. So that's a kind of interesting example of the way in which you can see the fact and the fantasy becoming confused. If you think about how Herodotus knows about India, it's because India was joined to Greece by the Persians. But there are a lot of people speaking a lot of different languages between India and Greece. And so over the course of many, many miles that separate India from Greece, it's unsurprising that stories get distorted."

Herodotus existed at a time when the Greek world was in turmoil. It was a time of great political, social, and cultural change, as the city-states were emerging from a period of relative obscurity and beginning to make their mark on the bigger stage. Herodotus himself was one of the most prominent figures of this era, as the first historian known by name. He traveled widely and collected information from various cultures and civilisations to write Histories.

<h2>Why did Indians cling to their multiple gods even as most of the world embraced monotheistic religions?</h2>

While India of Herodotus' days has changed significantly, one thing that has not changed in the country is most of the population still worships roughly the same gods. Even as others around the world lost their myths and traditions to Christianity and Islam — Christianisation of Europe, for instance made Norse, Celtic and other religions extinct — Indians have by and large persisted with their gods. This is not to diminish the importance of reformist movements in the country, of course.

"Christianity has cut us off from that inheritance (polytheistic faiths). It's very difficult for us in the West, if you've been raised with a Christian background, to make sense of what it was that the Greeks and the Romans believed in how they believed it. Which isn't to say that Greek gods and Hindu gods are coterminous, but I think that the practice of worship in India is closer to how the Greeks and the Romans understood the dimension of the supernatural than Christianity or Islam. One of the things is I think that they (polytheistic faiths) are not religion. Religion is a Christian idea, right? The thinking of religion as something that is separate from everything else is wrong. And that's one of the things I found fascinating about India, the sense of the divine is everywhere. And I think that in the 60s, the Beatles discovered, India, and everything that was a huge part of the appeal of it was the sense that in the West, so much had been drained of the spiritual and the holy and the supernatural. Whereas in India, that wasn't the case. And that was the opinion of people like George Harrison"

<h2>Is the west still more Christian than it thinks it is?</h2>

In Dominion, Holland argues that Christianity has played a much larger role in shaping Western culture and politics than is commonly acknowledged and that its influence can be seen in everything from the concept of human rights to the rise of science and democracy.

It is almost a well-established belief that post-Enlightenment, the West has rejected Christianity. But Holland makes the case, very eloquently if I may say so, that Christianity still pervades the modern west.&nbsp;

But did Christianisation of Europe really change the West in significant ways as he claims? Some may say, considering the Crusades, the witch trials, and so on, the Christian West was not as different from the pagan West, after all.

"I think that people in the West have tended to reject Christianity for very Christian reasons. And they think that they have emancipated themselves from the inheritance of the Christian past. But all they've really done is to make assumptions that are actually very, very Christian," says Holland.

<h2>Is there something like true history?</h2>

Different political and religious outfits around the world present their own 'historical narratives'. Is there anything like true history? Holland insists there is. In his words, "I do think it is possible to extrapolate yourself from very obviously propagandistic narratives. You can never be purely neutral because the ambition to be neutral is itself not neutral. You can never escape that paradox. But I think the ambition not to engage in propaganda is a very important first principle. And I don't think that all versions of history are equally valid. I think some are more valid than others. 
&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Tom Holland is an English historian, author, and broadcaster. He has written several books on classical and religious history, including Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic, Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, In the Shadow of the Sword, and Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar.

Tom Holland is an English historian, author, and broadcaster. He has written several books on classical and religious history, including Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic, Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, In the Shadow of the Sword, and Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar. His latest book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World explores the impact of Christianity on Western society and its role in shaping the modern world. He also co-hosts a popular podcast geared towards history lovers called The Rest is History with compatriot Dominic Sandbrook — also a historian. WION caught up with Holland at the recently concluded 2023 edition of Jaipur Literature Festival. Full of infectious enthusiasm and energy about his work, the tall, slim scholar is wonderfully insightful to listen to, as the attendees at his impromptu session on Persian Empire during the festival will corroborate. As suits his oeuvre, I asked him questions on a variety of historical topics. While every book of Holland is meticulously well-written and researched, for me, it is his brilliant translation of a book written by a man 2500 years ago that remains the favourite. The man is Herodotus and the book is called, simply, Histories. Regarded as the progenitor of the entire discipline of history, Herodotus' Histories is regarded as the first work of history in Western literature. As opposed to epics that were prevalent at that time, Histories employed the historical method, including emphasising the importance of eyewitness accounts and critical examination of sources. He even expresses suspicion at some of the more far-fetched accounts as Holland notes in his preface. Also Read: Indians at Oscars: A brief history How the west saw India and Indians in the ancient era A sprawling work, Histories is also a detailed account of the conflicts between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states like Sparta and Athens in the 5th century BCE. It also mentions India, or lands across the Indus. India was a distant and largely unknown land for the Greeks, with a culture and customs that were vastly different from those of the Greeks. There was limited interaction and a lack of direct knowledge of the land as only hardy adventurers travelled such vast distances. And thus it is not really surprising that to a reader of Herodotus, India would have appeared as almost akin to a fantasy land. There were tales of fabulous wealth as well as stories of strange creatures, such as the gold-digging ants and the dog-headed men. Holland tells WION, "You listen to Herodotus talking about India, and you think, 'what is he on!' What's amazing is that he knows anything about India at all, because he's separated by thousands of miles from India. And there are some things that he gets right. For example, he gets right that there are Indians who are vegetarian. And he has an awareness that there are teachers in India, and that this is important. Obviously, there are all kinds of mad stuff like the semen of Indians is black, and that they only ever have sex in public. So that's a kind of interesting example of the way in which you can see the fact and the fantasy becoming confused. If you think about how Herodotus knows about India, it's because India was joined to Greece by the Persians. But there are a lot of people speaking a lot of different languages between India and Greece. And so over the course of many, many miles that separate India from Greece, it's unsurprising that stories get distorted." Herodotus existed at a time when the Greek world was in turmoil. It was a time of great political, social, and cultural change, as the city-states were emerging from a period of relative obscurity and beginning to make their mark on the bigger stage. Herodotus himself was one of the most prominent figures of this era, as the first historian known by name. He traveled widely and collected information from various cultures and civilisations to write Histories. Why did Indians cling to their multiple gods even as most of the world embraced monotheistic religions? While India of Herodotus' days has changed significantly, one thing that has not changed in the country is most of the population still worships roughly the same gods. Even as others around the world lost their myths and traditions to Christianity and Islam — Christianisation of Europe, for instance made Norse, Celtic and other religions extinct — Indians have by and large persisted with their gods. This is not to diminish the importance of reformist movements in the country, of course. "Christianity has cut us off from that inheritance (polytheistic faiths). It's very difficult for us in the West, if you've been raised with a Christian background, to make sense of what it was that the Greeks and the Romans believed in how they believed it. Which isn't to say that Greek gods and Hindu gods are coterminous, but I think that the practice of worship in India is closer to how the Greeks and the Romans understood the dimension of the supernatural than Christianity or Islam. One of the things is I think that they (polytheistic faiths) are not religion. Religion is a Christian idea, right? The thinking of religion as something that is separate from everything else is wrong. And that's one of the things I found fascinating about India, the sense of the divine is everywhere. And I think that in the 60s, the Beatles discovered, India, and everything that was a huge part of the appeal of it was the sense that in the West, so much had been drained of the spiritual and the holy and the supernatural. Whereas in India, that wasn't the case. And that was the opinion of people like George Harrison" Is the west still more Christian than it thinks it is? In Dominion, Holland argues that Christianity has played a much larger role in shaping Western culture and politics than is commonly acknowledged and that its influence can be seen in everything from the concept of human rights to the rise of science and democracy. It is almost a well-established belief that post-Enlightenment, the West has rejected Christianity. But Holland makes the case, very eloquently if I may say so, that Christianity still pervades the modern west. But did Christianisation of Europe really change the West in significant ways as he claims? Some may say, considering the Crusades, the witch trials, and so on, the Christian West was not as different from the pagan West, after all. "I think that people in the West have tended to reject Christianity for very Christian reasons. And they think that they have emancipated themselves from the inheritance of the Christian past. But all they've really done is to make assumptions that are actually very, very Christian," says Holland. Is there something like true history? Different political and religious outfits around the world present their own 'historical narratives'. Is there anything like true history? Holland insists there is. In his words, "I do think it is possible to extrapolate yourself from very obviously propagandistic narratives. You can never be purely neutral because the ambition to be neutral is itself not neutral. You can never escape that paradox. But I think the ambition not to engage in propaganda is a very important first principle. And I don't think that all versions of history are equally valid. I think some are more valid than others. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Exclusive | Tom Holland on ancient Greek perceptions of India as a land of wonders and navigating propaganda

Israeli authorities are set to unveil previously off-limits structures within King Herod's palace-fortress Herodium, which the tyrannical Roman-era leader interred as his enormous burial plot.

Herodium, a hugely popular tourism destination, is near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank but falls in an area where Israel exercises full military and civilian control.

Archaeologists say Herod decided towards the end of his life to bury his palace, using ground from below the hill it was perched upon, until the outline of the structure was no longer visible.

Israel's Nature and Parks Authority plans to open the revamped site on Sunday, allowing visitors to see for the first time Herodium's arched stairway, foyer and private theatre.

The Judean desert complex was built by the Roman-appointed king known both for his brutality and the magnificent structures built during his reign over Judea from 37 to 4 BC.

The hilltop palace, its main entrance facing Jerusalem, was Herod's favourite.

It was the only one he named after himself and where he chose to be buried, said Roi Porat, the Hebrew University archaeologist in charge of the excavations.

A mere burial plot, however, would not have satisfied Herod, who wanted his final place of rest to overshadow his palace.

"That's why he covered the mountain, including the palace, to emphasise it," said Eran Kruzel of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

- 'Unparallelled' -

And while burying the palace during his lifetime provided Herod with the satisfaction of knowing his grave would stand out, it also helped preserve and protect the site for 2,000 years.

"This is an unparalleled archaeological laboratory," Porat said, comparing it to Pompeii's preservation in lava.

A broad staircase leads up the graveside to the palace's main foyer.

There are three tiers of support arches above the foyer, from when Herod decided to bury his palace but still needed access while he was still alive.

The foyer itself contains striped frescos in their original auburn, green and black, creating patterns mimicking marble panels, in line with the Judean royal style.

At the bottom of the stairs on the other side of the grave is the theatre with around 300 seats, and the private booth and royal visiting room overlooking it.

Herod hosted Marcus Agrippa, the second-in-command to Caesar Augustus, in that room in 15 BC, according to Porat.

"This was an extremely important visit for Herod," Porat noted, with the Judean ruler redecorating the visiting room to include a series of drawings mimicking open windows and depicting Agrippa's conquest of Egypt, with bold and lavish stucco reliefs above.&nbsp;

"Prior to this, Herod followed Jewish tradition that avoided images of animals and people, but here, anything was possible," Porat said.

"It's truly a Roman capsule in Judea."

The excavation and preservation of the latest parts of the palace began some 13 years ago with the discovery of Herod's grave.

To Porat, the site illustrates Herod's mindset, "when all he's concerned with is how to preserve his memory to eternity."

"His name has been preserved here," Porat said.

"For the better or for the worse, the landscape here in this region south of Jerusalem has been changed."

Israeli authorities are set to unveil previously off-limits structures within King Herod's palace-fortress Herodium, which the tyrannical Roman-era leader interred as his enormous burial plot.

Israeli authorities are set to unveil previously off-limits structures within King Herod's palace-fortress Herodium, which the tyrannical Roman-era leader interred as his enormous burial plot. Herodium, a hugely popular tourism destination, is near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank but falls in an area where Israel exercises full military and civilian control. Archaeologists say Herod decided towards the end of his life to bury his palace, using ground from below the hill it was perched upon, until the outline of the structure was no longer visible. Israel's Nature and Parks Authority plans to open the revamped site on Sunday, allowing visitors to see for the first time Herodium's arched stairway, foyer and private theatre. The Judean desert complex was built by the Roman-appointed king known both for his brutality and the magnificent structures built during his reign over Judea from 37 to 4 BC. The hilltop palace, its main entrance facing Jerusalem, was Herod's favourite. It was the only one he named after himself and where he chose to be buried, said Roi Porat, the Hebrew University archaeologist in charge of the excavations. A mere burial plot, however, would not have satisfied Herod, who wanted his final place of rest to overshadow his palace. "That's why he covered the mountain, including the palace, to emphasise it," said Eran Kruzel of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. - 'Unparallelled' - And while burying the palace during his lifetime provided Herod with the satisfaction of knowing his grave would stand out, it also helped preserve and protect the site for 2,000 years. "This is an unparalleled archaeological laboratory," Porat said, comparing it to Pompeii's preservation in lava. A broad staircase leads up the graveside to the palace's main foyer. There are three tiers of support arches above the foyer, from when Herod decided to bury his palace but still needed access while he was still alive. The foyer itself contains striped frescos in their original auburn, green and black, creating patterns mimicking marble panels, in line with the Judean royal style. At the bottom of the stairs on the other side of the grave is the theatre with around 300 seats, and the private booth and royal visiting room overlooking it. Herod hosted Marcus Agrippa, the second-in-command to Caesar Augustus, in that room in 15 BC, according to Porat. "This was an extremely important visit for Herod," Porat noted, with the Judean ruler redecorating the visiting room to include a series of drawings mimicking open windows and depicting Agrippa's conquest of Egypt, with bold and lavish stucco reliefs above. "Prior to this, Herod followed Jewish tradition that avoided images of animals and people, but here, anything was possible," Porat said. "It's truly a Roman capsule in Judea." The excavation and preservation of the latest parts of the palace began some 13 years ago with the discovery of Herod's grave. To Porat, the site illustrates Herod's mindset, "when all he's concerned with is how to preserve his memory to eternity." "His name has been preserved here," Porat said. "For the better or for the worse, the landscape here in this region south of Jerusalem has been changed."

Israel unveils parts of Herod's palace buried by Judean king

More than 2,500 years ago, an Athenian nobleman named Cylon,&nbsp;the first recorded Olympic champion,&nbsp;tried to take over the city of Athens and install himself as its sole ruler.

According to Thucydides and Herodotus, Athenian and Greek historians who wrote about the coup, Cylon enticed an army of followers to enter the city and lay siege to the Acropolis. They were defeated, but Cylon managed to escape.

Now archaeologists in Athens believe they may have found some of the remains of Cylon&#39;s army in a mass grave in Phaleron, four miles (6 kilometres) south of downtown Athens.

The discovery of the 80 skeletons of men is &quot;unequalled&quot; in Greece, said site project director Stella Chrysoulaki.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/000_qk1ri-20170715050053.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
More than 2,500 years ago, an Athenian nobleman named Cyclon tried to take over Athens and become sole ruler. Now archaeologists believe they may have found some of the remains of his army in a mass grave in Phaleron 6, kms south of downtown Athens. (AFP)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

The men, young and well-fed, were found lying in the unmarked grave in three rows, some on their backs while others were tossed facedown on their stomachs. All of the men had their hands in iron chains and at least 52 of them had their hands tied above their heads.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/000_qk1z3-20170715045425.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
A photo taken on July 7, 2017 shows a human skeleton with the hands tied in the back stored in a lab at the American School of Archaeology in Athens. (AFP)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

They died from blows to the head, victims of a &quot;political execution&quot; that dates back to between 675 and 650 BC according to pieces of pottery found in the grave, Chrysoulaki said.

At the time, Athens was just being formed and the city was transitioning towards a democracy, Eleanna Prevedorou, a bioarchaeological researcher on the project, said. And it was happening &quot;against a backdrop of political turmoil, tensions between tyrants, aristocrats and the working class,&quot; she added.

&nbsp;

&#39;Crime Scene Investigation&#39;&nbsp;

Bioarchaeological scientists use forensic research, such as DNA profiling, to investigate and ultimately uncover how humans lived and died by examining skeletons.

&quot;We are going to use, roughly speaking, the methods made famous by television series on forensics crime science,&quot; joked Panagiotis Karkanas, laboratory director and geoarchaeologist at the Malcolm H&nbsp;Wiener Laboratory at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.

Probably the most famous of these TV series, CBS&#39; &quot;CSI: Crime Scene Investigation&quot;, which chronicles the cases of an elite team of police forensics investigators, has spawned the shorthand CSI to describe the technology the agents use. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Karkanas&#39; team, though technically not crime scene investigators, will apply similar high-tech methods using some of the same tools.

They will perform a battery of tests -- particularly gene, radiographic and isotopic analyses -- to uncover the mysteries hidden inside each skull and skeleton fragment.

Whatever clues they gather will give them an idea of how old the men were, whether they were related, where they came from, how healthy they were, and where they stood on the socioeconomic ladder of the times.

But unlike crime dramas, where investigators reveal exactly how and why the crime took place, this cold case will likely not be resolved for five to seven years.

&nbsp;

1,500 skeletons

The mass grave was uncovered in spring last year in one of the largest excavation sites Greece has ever unearthed.

Though the site was found a century ago, large-scale excavation of the complex only began in 2012, when archaeologists discovered a large cemetery containing over 1,500 skeletons dating back to between the eighth and fifth century BC. More than 100 of them bore the marks of a violent death.

Other small-scale excavations since then have unearthed other treasures, including the group of men believed to be part of Cylon&#39;s army. Many of the skeletons found were bound or shackled, and facedown in unmarked graves, sometimes in sandy holes barely big enough to hold a body.

Other skeletons were buried in open pits, placed on funeral pyres and in jars, the preferred coffins at the time for infants and small children.

According to researchers, the cemetery measures about 4,000 square metres (372 square feet) and all 1,500 skeletons will eventually be taken to the laboratory&#39;s facilities for proper study.

At least 10 of the 80 men found are headed to the lab later this year, while the rest will stay as part of an upcoming exposition on the excavation site.&nbsp;

One of the skeletons already at the lab, with his arms twisted behind his back, is a reflection of past Athenian violence. He could have been a &quot;prisoner of war, a criminal or a runaway slave,&quot; Prevedorou said.

&nbsp;

A story to tell&nbsp;

Even the nonviolent deaths, or deaths without historical reference,&nbsp;notably the hundreds of children&#39;s remains found in jars,&nbsp;have a story to tell, Karkanas said. The bones could reveal the children&#39;s lifestyles and diseases, shedding more light on ancient Athenian culture and history.

Most of the recorded ancient history on Athens and Greek life describes the &quot;elite and the victors,&quot; Karkanas added. But to rely solely on those testimonies to understand the past would be like &quot;reading newspapers today to find out what&#39;s going on in the world right now&quot;.&nbsp;

The 80 skeletons may be the army that lay siege to ancient Athens raised by Cylon, a nobleman and the first-ever Olympic champion

More than 2,500 years ago, an Athenian nobleman named Cylon, the first recorded Olympic champion, tried to take over the city of Athens and install himself as its sole ruler. According to Thucydides and Herodotus, Athenian and Greek historians who wrote about the coup, Cylon enticed an army of followers to enter the city and lay siege to the Acropolis. They were defeated, but Cylon managed to escape. Now archaeologists in Athens believe they may have found some of the remains of Cylon's army in a mass grave in Phaleron, four miles (6 kilometres) south of downtown Athens. The discovery of the 80 skeletons of men is "unequalled" in Greece, said site project director Stella Chrysoulaki. More than 2,500 years ago, an Athenian nobleman named Cyclon tried to take over Athens and become sole ruler. Now archaeologists believe they may have found some of the remains of his army in a mass grave in Phaleron 6, kms south of downtown Athens. (AFP) × The men, young and well-fed, were found lying in the unmarked grave in three rows, some on their backs while others were tossed facedown on their stomachs. All of the men had their hands in iron chains and at least 52 of them had their hands tied above their heads. A photo taken on July 7, 2017 shows a human skeleton with the hands tied in the back stored in a lab at the American School of Archaeology in Athens. (AFP) × They died from blows to the head, victims of a "political execution" that dates back to between 675 and 650 BC according to pieces of pottery found in the grave, Chrysoulaki said. At the time, Athens was just being formed and the city was transitioning towards a democracy, Eleanna Prevedorou, a bioarchaeological researcher on the project, said. And it was happening "against a backdrop of political turmoil, tensions between tyrants, aristocrats and the working class," she added. 'Crime Scene Investigation' Bioarchaeological scientists use forensic research, such as DNA profiling, to investigate and ultimately uncover how humans lived and died by examining skeletons. "We are going to use, roughly speaking, the methods made famous by television series on forensics crime science," joked Panagiotis Karkanas, laboratory director and geoarchaeologist at the Malcolm H Wiener Laboratory at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. Probably the most famous of these TV series, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", which chronicles the cases of an elite team of police forensics investigators, has spawned the shorthand CSI to describe the technology the agents use. Karkanas' team, though technically not crime scene investigators, will apply similar high-tech methods using some of the same tools. They will perform a battery of tests -- particularly gene, radiographic and isotopic analyses -- to uncover the mysteries hidden inside each skull and skeleton fragment. Whatever clues they gather will give them an idea of how old the men were, whether they were related, where they came from, how healthy they were, and where they stood on the socioeconomic ladder of the times. But unlike crime dramas, where investigators reveal exactly how and why the crime took place, this cold case will likely not be resolved for five to seven years. 1,500 skeletons The mass grave was uncovered in spring last year in one of the largest excavation sites Greece has ever unearthed. Though the site was found a century ago, large-scale excavation of the complex only began in 2012, when archaeologists discovered a large cemetery containing over 1,500 skeletons dating back to between the eighth and fifth century BC. More than 100 of them bore the marks of a violent death. Other small-scale excavations since then have unearthed other treasures, including the group of men believed to be part of Cylon's army. Many of the skeletons found were bound or shackled, and facedown in unmarked graves, sometimes in sandy holes barely big enough to hold a body. Other skeletons were buried in open pits, placed on funeral pyres and in jars, the preferred coffins at the time for infants and small children. According to researchers, the cemetery measures about 4,000 square metres (372 square feet) and all 1,500 skeletons will eventually be taken to the laboratory's facilities for proper study. At least 10 of the 80 men found are headed to the lab later this year, while the rest will stay as part of an upcoming exposition on the excavation site. One of the skeletons already at the lab, with his arms twisted behind his back, is a reflection of past Athenian violence. He could have been a "prisoner of war, a criminal or a runaway slave," Prevedorou said. A story to tell Even the nonviolent deaths, or deaths without historical reference, notably the hundreds of children's remains found in jars, have a story to tell, Karkanas said. The bones could reveal the children's lifestyles and diseases, shedding more light on ancient Athenian culture and history. Most of the recorded ancient history on Athens and Greek life describes the "elite and the victors," Karkanas added. But to rely solely on those testimonies to understand the past would be like "reading newspapers today to find out what's going on in the world right now".

Archaeologists go high-tech in 2,500-year-old Greek cold case

herodotus

Herodotus, News on Herodotus, stories on Herodotus, articles on Herodotus, Herodotus stories at Wion, Herodotus news, Herodotus latest news