178-184

Τhe fettered men of Acanthus

Σύμμεικτα

• Φάκλαρης, Παναγιώτης Β.

Among the numerous burials in the cemetery of ancient Acanthus in Chalkidiki that have so far been excavated were eight male burials in which the dead were wearing iron fetters on their feet (fig. 1 a-c). They were simple burials without grave goods and were in no way different from the others in the cemetery. They can be dated to the Hellenistic period. An interesting problem that arises here is the identity of the dead persons. Three possible suggestions have hitherto been put forward: that they were 1) slaves, 2) lunatics or epileptics, or 3) prisoners or convicts. I believe, however, that a fourth explanation may be closer to the truth. It seems to me most probable that these men in fetters were prisoners of war who had been condemned to work all their lives with shackles on their feet.We read in Arrian (Anabasis, I. 16) that Alexander the Great, after his victory at the river Granicus, treated the Greek mercenaries who had fought for the Persians with great harshness. He sent those he had taken prisoner, numbering about two thousand, to Macedonia in iron fetters to toil. Most of them must have been employed in agricultural work, some of them were employed in the mines or other public enterprises, and a smaller number was distributed among the different cities of Macedonia to labour in workshops. It is probable that the fettered men of Acanthus belonged to this latter group.

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

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