From ceramic panels to mosaic tiles, thrilling scenes of gladiators fighting lions appear in many Roman-era artworks. Until now, archaeological evidence of such a battle actually occurring had never been identified.
A new study, centered on a single skeleton from a Roman cemetery in England, has finally revealed what researchers are calling “the first physical evidence of human-animal gladiatorial combat from the Roman period seen anywhere in Europe.”
Human-Animal Gladiatorial Battles in Ancient Rome
In ancient times, the venatio (Latin for “hunting”) was a popular form of entertainment in Roman amphitheaters involving the hunting and killing of wild animals. These events were held in the morning before the afternoon’s famed gladiatorial duels. Works of art from the Early Imperial Period depict armed gladiators pitted against wild animals from far reaches of the empire. Roman spectators were especially excited to see the gladiators face off against lions, which were imported from North Africa and Syria.
There is a plethora of artistic evidence for human-lion gladiatorial battles. Now, a recent study, published in PLOS One and led by Professor Tim Thompson of Maynooth University, provides physical proof of such events for the first time. The study focuses on skeletal remains discovered at Driffield Terrace, a burial site near the Roman city of Eboracum in York, England. The burial site has long been assumed to contain gladiator graves due to evidence of intense physical training and violence, as well as a high incidence of decapitations.
Research Reveals Lion Bite on Gladiator’s Pelvic Bone
One particular skeleton, belonging to a young gladiator and bearing signs of fatal injuries, was unearthed at Driffield Terrace nearly twenty years ago. Thompson’s team decided to take another look at this skeleton. They used 3D scanning technology and comparisons with bite patterns from zoo animals to determine that visible wounds on the man’s pelvic bones were “entirely consistent with documented cases of large cat bite marks.” The lion bite appeared to never have healed, which suggests it led to the gladiator’s death shortly thereafter.
Thompson told BBC News, “We think this gladiator was fighting in some sort of spectacle and was incapacitated, and that the lion bit him and dragged him away by his hip.” The gladiator’s skeleton was also found decapitated—a common funerary rite at the time. In this case, however, researchers believe the man may have been decapitated as a mercy killing after suffering the lion bite.
In a statement, Thompson said, “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, a lecturer in osteoarchaeology at the University of York, added, “This is a hugely exciting find because we can now start to build a better picture of what these gladiators were like in life.” Holst also underscored that the new evidence “confirms the presence of large cats, and potentially other exotic animals, in arenas in cities such as York.”
