And the human remains, found in a Roman cemetery in York, are the first direct physical evidence of gladiatorial combat between men and wild beasts anywhere in the Roman world.
The skeleton was excavated and examined from one of the best-preserved gladiator graveyards in the world – Driffield Terrace – where archaeologists discovered 82 young male skeletons in 2010.
Experts at the time noted that the individuals were strongly built as a result of training and had a high frequency of healed injuries associated with violence.
Malin Holst, lecturer in osteoarchaeology at the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, and managing director of York Osteoarchaeology, 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.”
This is the final piece of evidence from work that began in 2004, when the first skeletons were excavated at the 1,800-year-old Roman cemetery, along the Roman road leading out of York to Tadcaster.
Professor Tim Thompson, from Maynooth University, Ireland, added: “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.
“The skeleton, a male aged between 26 and 35, was buried in a grave with two others, and overlaid with horse bones.”
The lion bite wound was confirmed by comparing it to sample bites from a lion at a zoo. It was not healed and is therefore likely to have been his cause of death, the university said.
They added that analysis of the skeleton points towards this being a Bestarius, a gladiator role undertaken by volunteers or slaves.
Ms Holst 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 appears to have held gladiator arena events until as late as the fourth century AD, perhaps due to the fact that there were many senior generals and politicians that held posts in the city, which included Constantine, who appointed himself emperor there in 306 AD.
DIG in St Saviourgate will host the skeleton as part of its Roman exhibition, which includes a reconstruction of the gladiator’s face.
