Find reveals physical evidence of deadly Roman gladiator animal fights

By Stephen Beech

A gladiator was bitten and probably killed by a lion, reveals the first physical evidence of human combat with animals in Roman times.

Bite marks found on the pelvis of a skeleton discovered in a Roman cemetery in York is the first archaeological proof of gladiatorial combat with wild beasts, say scientists.

Likely to have been buried sometime between 200AD and 300AD, the skeleton was excavated from one of the world's best-preserved gladiator graveyards, known as Driffield Terrace.

The man, aged between 26 and 35, was buried in a grave with two others, and overlaid with horse bones.

Researchers say that, when he was alive, he appears to have had some issues with his spine that may have been caused by overloading to his back, inflammation of his lung and thigh, as well as malnutrition as a child, which he recovered from.

The lion bite wound - confirmed by comparing it to sample bites from a lion at a zoo - was not healed and is therefore likely to have been his cause of death.

It is believed that the man was decapitated after death, which appears to have been a ritual for some individuals in the Roman period, although the reasons for that remain unclear.

Analysis of the skeleton, published in the journal PLOS One, points towards him being a Bestarius, a gladiator role undertaken by volunteers or slaves.

While images of gladiators being bitten by lions have appeared in ancient mosaics and pottery, researcher say it is the first and only "convincing" skeletal evidence using forensic experiments anywhere in the world of bite marks produced by the teeth of a big cat, such as a lion.

The first of 82 "well-built" young male skeletons were excavated from the 1,800-year-old Roman cemetery in York in 2004.

Experts at the time noted from tooth enamel the wide range of Roman provinces from around the world that the skeletons hailed from, as well as evidence of unusual funeral rites at the burial site.

Deaths were also consistent with gladiatorial combat, such as individuals being particularly strongly built as a result of training and a high frequency of healed injuries linked with violence.

Study lead author Professor Tim Thompson, of Maynooth University in Ireland, said: “The implications of our multidisciplinary study are huge.

"Here we have physical evidence for the spectacle of the Roman Empire and the dangerous gladiatorial combat on show.

"This provides new evidence to support our understanding of the past."

He added: “For years, our understanding of Roman gladiatorial combat and animal spectacles has relied heavily on historical texts and artistic depictions.

"This discovery provides the first direct, physical evidence that such events took place in this period, reshaping our perception of Roman entertainment culture in the region.”

Malin Holst, of York University’s Department of Archaeology, said: “The bite marks were likely made by a lion, which confirms that the skeletons buried at the cemetery were gladiators, rather than soldiers or slaves, as initially thought and represent the first osteological confirmation of human interaction with large carnivores in a combat or entertainment setting in the Roman world.”

She added: “This is a hugely exciting find because we can now start to build a better image of what these gladiators were like in life, and it also confirms the presence of large cats, and potentially other exotic animals, in arenas in cities such as York, and how how they too had to defend themselves from the threat of death.

“We often have a mental image of these combats occurring at the grand surroundings of the Colosseum in Rome, but these latest findings show that these sporting events had a far reach, well beyond the centre of core Roman territories.

"An amphitheatre probably existed in Roman York, but this has not yet been discovered.”

York - known as Eboracum in Roman times - appears to have held gladiator arena events until as late as the 4th Century AD.

Researchers believe that this may be due to the fact that there were many senior generals and politicians who held posts in the city, which included Constantine, who appointed himself emperor there in 306 AD.

They say the presence of distinguished Roman leaders in York would have meant they required a lavish social life, so it was no surprise to see evidence of gladiator events.

The research team say owners of gladiators would not have wanted them to die as they were expensive "sports people" - not too dissimilar to footballers today - and as such they wanted them to win, to be able to fight again.

If they didn’t survive, they were often provided with gifts in death to serve in the afterlife, which is evident at some of the graves at Driffield Terrace.

Co-author Dr. John Pearce, of King's College London, adds: "As tangible witnesses to spectacles in Britain's Roman amphitheatres, the bitemarks help us appreciate these spaces as settings for brutal demonstrations of power.

"They make an important contribution to desanitising our Roman past."

David Jennings, CEO of York Archaeology, said: “This latest research gives us a remarkable insight into the life – and death – of this particular individual, and adds to both previous and ongoing genome research into the origins of some of the men buried in this particular Roman cemetery."

He added: “We may never know what brought this man to the arena where we believe he may have been fighting for the entertainment of others, but it is remarkable that the first osteo-archaeological evidence for this kind of gladiatorial combat has been found so far from the Colosseum of Rome, which would have been the classical world’s Wembley Stadium of combat.”