Shackled skeletons in mass grave could be rebel army that tried to take Athens 2,600

[bicicleur 2]

Shackled skeletons in mass grave could be rebel army that tried to take Athens 2,600 years ago

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/shackled-s...that-tried-take-athens-2600-years-ago-1630639


The tests conducted on the skeletons include DNA profiling as well as radiographic and isotopic analyses to shed light on these people's age, geographic origin and social status. The archaeologists might also get an idea of whether these men were related and whether they were in good health overall.
All this information could help confirm whether these men were likely to have been Cylon's supporters. Preliminary results back up the idea that these were Cylon's men, as they appear to have been young and healthy when they died, as would be expected of fighters in an army. However, more investigations will be needed before the full picture can emerge – the DNA analyses in particular are awaited with impatience to establish the relationships between these people who were executed together in such a violent manner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylon_of_Athens

 

[Nik]

Great! We need more discoveries of such graves and all our speculations on origins will be over. A sample of 80 will definitely give a good idea about the genetic makeup of Attike in antiquity at least and will present a good comparison with the modern population of Attike.

 

[CrazyDonkey]

So, what happened on this? Any followup story on the DNA findings?

It was hardly an "army" - at most it was a "band" (or "company", according to Herodotus), composed of Cylon's supporters and Megaran mercenaries (Cylon was married to the daughter of the tyrant of Megara). I believe the Megarans were killed on the spot. Herodotus wrote that "he and his men" were removed and killed," while Thucydides wrote that "Cylon and his brother escaped," so there is a basic disagreement. Nothing further was ever heard of Cylon.