An Early Ottoman Cemetery at Ancient Corinth

by Arthur H. Rohn, Ethne Barnes, and Guy D. R. Sanders, with an appendix by Orestes H. Zervos

Hesperia, Volume 78, Issue 4
Page(s): 501-615
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25622710
Year: 2009
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ABSTRACT:

The authors report in this article on the excavation and skeletal analyses of 81 graves containing the remains of 133 individuals in a 17th-century cemetery in the Panayia Field at Ancient Corinth. Two distinct styles of burial reflect Orthodox Christian and Muslim traditions. Osteological analyses revealed a preponderance of adult males over females; more young and middle-aged males and fewer small children than might be expected; and numerous instances of physical violence, including two obvious cases of punishment. The presence of iron boot-heel reinforcement cleats and the mixing of Christian and Muslim burial practices suggest that the cemetery may have served a garrison population in Corinth under Ottoman rule during the early 17th century.