Did gladiators fight lions? Bite marks found on ancient bones in York

Forget the Colosseum and what you’ve seen in the Gladiator film franchise – the latest evidence of ancient Roman brutality comes not from the heart of Italy, but from a quiet field in Yorkshire.

A Roman-era skeleton unearthed in York, England, has given archaeologists the first physical proof that gladiators in Britain clashed not just with each other, but with ferocious beasts.

Experts say the man’s pelvis bears bite marks from a large feline – most likely a lion – revealing that brutal man-versus-beast spectacles weren’t confined to the Colosseum, but reached the far-flung corners of the Roman Empire, including ancient Eboracum (now York).

Until now, our impression of such bloody face-offs came mostly from mosaics and pottery, where lions can be seen pouncing and gladiators bleed in stylised agony. But this is the first time skeletal remains have offered concrete evidence.

“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”, Professor Tim Thompson, the forensic expert who led the study, told the BBC.

Under the rule of the Severan dynasty – an African-born emperor who likely brought animals from his homeland – York would’ve been the perfect stage for the gruesome pageantry of damnatio ad bestias (condemnation to beasts).

The man – aged between 26 and 36 when he died in the 3rd century AD – was buried in what’s believed to be a gladiator cemetery, located at Driffield Terrace, in York.

Earlier analysis of the bones, unearthed in a 2004 dig, suggested he was likely a “Bestiarius” – a type of gladiator specifically trained to battle wild animals. His injuries, researchers say, perfectly match the bite force of a big cat, confirmed by comparisons with large cats at London Zoo.

Thompson has further revealed that the location of the bite marks offered an unexpected clue about how the gladiator met his end. “The pelvis”, he explained, “is not where lions normally attack, so 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.”

Researchers now aim to uncover how lions were brought to Britain and explore further the lives of gladiators at the fringes of the Roman Empire.