Destined to Succed. The Clazomenian Colonization Endeavour at Abdera in Retrospect : Evidence from the Anthropological Record

Abstract

International audienceThis paper aims to elucidate aspects of the Clazomenean endeavor to found Abdera, a new settlement in Thrace, around 655 BC. Although earlier versions of this study have been both incorporated into a larger assembly of archaeological data and published independently, no prior report is as comprehensive as this one. Replete with human osteological remains, the primary anthropological data from the Clazomenean burial contexts in Abdera offers significant information with quantitative implications for scholarly research. These include the plausible reconstructions of facets of the demographic dynamics and paleopathological profile characteristics of the population. Beyond the elementary retrieval of anthropological bio-cultural data 4, this reconstructive approach bases itself upon a cross-disciplinary effort, permitting further reflection upon a number of undocumented archaeological-historical issues and allowing new insights into the challenges of the Ionian Greeks in colonizing Aegean Thrace