The Legacy Skeletal Collections at Apollonia Pontica What We Know and Where We Are Going

Abstract

As a field, bioarchaeology has recently reckoned with its responsibility to examine underutilized legacy skeletal collections. Employing the idea that bioarchaeologists have a moral obligation to analyze and disseminate information about legacy collections, this review discusses the history of the legacy collection at Apollonia Pontica, the oldest and largest Greek colony on the Western Black Sea Coast. While Apollonia was an important port city, it was seldom the focus of ancient historians, meaning we must rely heavily on archaeological and osteological research to fill in the gaps surrounding the daily lives of its citizens. Apollonia has been extensively studied from a mortuary perspective, but less work has been conducted on the skeletal remains. This review explores all previously published analyses of the skeletal remains from the city’s vast necropolises, examining what information they can provide regarding diet, migration, disease, and daily life at Apollonia. It also suggests how the Apollonian legacy collection might be utilized to answer future questions related to topics such as migration, social relations, violence, and health.