The Origins Of Democracy

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In this project the investigators will address the processes through which stratified societies and city-states emerge and the mechanisms for the formation of citizenship and democracy. Emphasis will be placed upon the role of non-elite in the emergence of democracy. Bioarchaeology, the study of human remains in archaeological and historical contexts, is well suited to give voice to the non-elite, often the silent people of the past, who infrequently appear in written sources, art, and architecture. By linking science to the humanities, this project will combine a variety of lines of evidence to shed light into the life conditions and mortuary treatment of the non-elite and the outsiders in early city-state communities. In addition, this project will enhance the visibility of females in the profession. It will also build a number of collaborations between US and non-US academic institutions and will thus provide research venues for dissertations and postdoctoral research positions expanding the range and impact of US archaeological activities. It will also provide significant training for undergraduate, graduate, and junior professionals in the field of bioarchaeology and related scientific methods, such as chemical analysis for the reconstruction of past diets and population movement. Furthermore, this project will significantly advance the cause of cross-disciplinary research and analysis. At the same time, through its pioneering approach to the recovery, management, and dissemination of bioarchaeological data, this project will serve as a model for future studies of similar nature, scope, and ambition.Within this broader context, this project will focus on the archaic city-state of Athens and the social, political, and economic factors that led to the development of the foundations of the modern western society. This study will make a novel and significant contribution to ongoing debates about the formation of the early city-state by targeting the life-histories of non-elite in archaic Athens. The researchers will examine possible changes in residence, diet, health, demographics, and activities in relation to mortuary treatment. How were the non-elite buried? Were they incorporated in formal cemeteries of the city? Was violence sanctioned within the social milieu during times of political upheaval and how is this represented in the mortuary record? By integrating a variety of approaches, including forensic, chemical, and radiocarbon analyses, this study will reconstruct the lived experiences of past people who were not part of the elite as a reflection of broader processes of sociopolitical change.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.