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New investigations into a skeleton unearthed from a Roman-era cemetery in England may offer compelling evidence of gladiatorial combat between humans and animals. This groundbreaking discovery provides insights into Roman entertainment and the lives of ancient gladiators.
Gladiator Graveyard Yields Startling Discovery
A male skeleton, estimated to be between 26 and 35 years old at the time of death, exhibited indications of bite marks from a sizable feline, potentially a lion, on the pelvic region. The individual was interred approximately 1,725 to 1,825 years ago in what is now York, England. The findings were published in the journal PLOS One.
Archaeologists from the York Archaeological Trust recovered the remains from Driffield Terrace, recognized as a gladiator graveyard.
The location borders an ancient Roman road leading from York, receiving its grim designation following the discovery of 82 skeletons of robust young men, revealed in a 2010 documentary titled “Gladiators: Back From the Dead.”
While historical documents and artwork depict combat between humans and animals during the Roman era, tangible proof of gladiators and their perilous struggles for entertainment has been limited, according to the study’s authors.
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“Our understanding of Roman gladiatorial combat and animal displays has largely depended on historical accounts and artistic renderings,” stated Tim Thompson, the study’s lead author and a professor of anthropology at Maynooth University in Ireland. “This finding offers tangible, direct evidence that these events occurred, transforming our understanding of Roman entertainment in the area.”
The findings underscore the extensive influence of the Roman Empire throughout England, revealing that gladiator arenas showcasing imported animals were part of the culture far from the Roman Colosseum.
Reexamining an Enigmatic Find
During the Roman period, burials typically occurred outside settlements, with the deceased either cremated or buried alongside major roadways, according to the study.
During construction activities in 2004, archaeological assessments led to the uncovering of the Driffield Terrace cemetery. Many of the men’s remains displayed attributes indicative of training, trauma, healed injuries, and unique burial practices like decapitation. Analysis of tooth enamel suggested diverse origins across the Roman provinces.
Despite previous examinations of the cemetery and its remains, an unresolved question persisted: a skeleton exhibiting unexplained depressions on the pelvis resembling carnivore bites.
As part of the investigation, the researchers created three-dimensional scans of the markings and compared them with bites from various carnivores. Based on the comparison, the bite marks likely originated from a large cat, most probably a lion.
“The likely origin of the bite marks from a lion corroborates that the skeletons interred in the cemetery belong to gladiators, rather than soldiers or slaves, as initially theorized, and constitute the first osteological evidence of human interaction with large carnivores in a combat or entertainment context in the Roman world,” noted study coauthor Malin Holst, lecturer in osteoarchaeology at the University of York’s department of archaeology.
Existing texts and artwork detail such encounters between men and animals staged during arena spectacles in the Roman Empire, noted Kathleen M. Coleman, James Loeb Professor of the Classics at Harvard University, who was not involved in the research.
“But images can be disseminated to areas where these events do not occur, so they are not conclusive evidence that animal combat took place there,” Coleman stated. “That is why the discovery of this new skeleton is significant.”
Further analysis of the man’s bones indicated childhood malnutrition recovery, spinal issues from back strain, and lung and thigh inflammation.
The man was probably a bestiarius, a gladiator specializing in fighting beasts whose ranks included volunteers or slaves.
“(Gladiators) could become famous and purchase freedom, fostering a better appreciation of their intricate social standing,” said Barry Molloy, an associate professor at University College Dublin, who was not part of the study. “Art may depict ‘the money shots’ or the Romans’ idealized ‘coolest kills.’ The arena, with a person fighting for their life, meant that human vs. animal outcomes were uncertain.”
Gladiators were considered athletes, and their owners wanted victories to allow them to fight again, the study authors stated. The unhealed lion bite likely led to his demise, and he was decapitated post-mortem. While decapitation was a Roman funeral rite, the researchers suggest it was a mercy killing following the lion bite.
“This exciting find allows us to understand the life of gladiators and confirms the presence of big cats, and other exotic animals, in arenas in cities such as York where they defended themselves from death,” Malin emphasized.
But how did a gladiator arena and a lion emerge in northeast England?
York: An Ancient Entertainment Hub
Images of gladiators sparring, with each other or animals, displayed in ancient mosaics and pottery conjure the Roman Colosseum, “the classical world’s Wembley Stadium of combat,” said David Jennings, CEO of York Archaeology. Jennings did not participate in the new research.
These brutal sporting events reached beyond core Roman territories, and while an amphitheater existed in Roman York, it hasn’t been unearthed yet, Malin said.
York started as the Roman city of Eboracum in 71 AD, maintaining soldiers until the end of the Roman period in the early fifth century, the study authors explained. Arena events were likely occurring there as late as the fourth century, as the city hosted generals, politicians, and Constantine, who was proclaimed emperor in Eboracum in AD 306.
The findings suggest Britain integrated into the Roman Empire’s customs and culture, with Roman entertainment widespread, said Jaclyn Neel, an associate professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, who was not involved in the research.
The presence of lions in York, rather than local animals, offered a unique perspective. Mosaics like the “Corridor of the Great Hunt” in Sicily depict large animals being captured and transported to Rome for sport.
“This encounter could be a contest between a professional fighter and the lion, which was exciting for spectators who bet on who would win”, Coleman said. “Or it could be a form of execution where the criminal is exposed to wild animals, bringing a satisfaction of justice to the spectators.”
The lion likely traveled along established supply routes carrying wine, oil, and grain across Europe and the Mediterranean to York, a legionary base, stated study coauthor Dr. John Pearce, reader at King’s College London. Lions were captured in northern Africa, then transported across the sea and rivers, before arriving via the road from London to York.
“These bitemarks, tangible witnesses to spectacles in Roman amphitheatres in Britain, help understand these spaces as brutal demonstrations of power. They demystify our Roman past” Pearce said.
If the man who faced the lion was a hunter, the entertainment was like bullfighting in Spain, Neel stated.
Understanding Roman Spectacles
- Roman culture emphasized the control of man over nature.
- Beast hunts theatrically reenacted this control.
- Romans used beast hunts to reinforce human superiority.
“Romans were much more familiar with death than North Americans are today, but that doesn’t mean that they tried to kill as many people as possible,” she said.
The skeleton will be part of the Roman exhibition at “DIG: An Archaeological Adventure” in York, and a 3D scan of the bite mark and gladiatorial fight depictions are part of the traveling “Gladiators of Britain” exhibition that is currently on display at the Dorset Museum & Art Gallery.