Lion Bite Marks on 1,800-Year-Old Skeleton Confirm Gladiators Fought in Roman Britain

Gladiatorial games are perhaps one of the most iconic and romanticized features of ancient Roman culture. Historical texts, bas-reliefs, pottery, and mosaics depict warriors fighting to the last breath for freedom and glory, often wrangling exotic beasts in front of crowds of cheering fans. While gladiatorial arenas such as the Roman Colosseum have survived for thousands of years, gladiators themselves have left behind little archaeological evidence, and even less that testifies to their legendary animal combats. Researchers in Ireland and the United Kingdom have identified the first physical evidence of ancient Roman human-animal gladiatorial combat in Europe: a human skeleton with bite marks on its pelvis likely from a large cat, unearthed in what is believed to be a gladiator burial outside of York, in the UK. “For years, our understanding of Roman gladiatorial combat and animal spectacles has relied heavily on historical texts and artistic depictions,” Tim Thompson, an anthropolo ... Read full article.