Roman gladiator was killed in epic battle with lion 2,000 years ago, experts determine from his skeleton

Daily Mail​

24-04-2025

Bite marks found on a skeleton in a Roman cemetery in England have provided the first archaeological evidence of an epic battle between a gladiator and a lion.
The fighter in question was a male, aged between 26 and 35, with a strong build and several healed injuries.
The most notable observation from the find in York, England, was what appeared to be a bite wound found on his hip bone.
Malin Holst, lecturer in Osteoarcheology at the University Of York, 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.
'They represent the first osteological confirmation of human interaction with large carnivores in a combat or entertainment setting in the Roman world.'
Sadly, it appears the wound never healed - and is likely to have been the cause of his death, experts said.
The skeleton was excavated from one of the best-preserved gladiator graveyards in the world, Driffield Terrace, in 2010.
There, researchers have been examining the remains of 82 well-built young men.
At the time, they could tell from tooth enamel the wide variety of Roman provinces from around the world that the skeletons hailed from.
The gladiator in question was buried in a grave with two others and overlaid with horse bones.
In life, 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.
To understand exactly what animal had caused the deadly bite, the experts compared it to samples from a zoo. There, they confirmed at match with a lion.
While the bite proved deadly, it is believed that the individual was decapitated after death, which appears to have been a ritual for some during the Roman period.
Analysis of the skeleton points towards this being a Bestarius, a gladiator role undertaken by volunteers or slaves.
Professor Tim Thompson, from Maynooth University in Ireland, said: '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.'
The team said that people often have a mental image of these combats taking place within the grand surroundings of the Colosseum in Rome, but findings show these sporting events had a far reach well beyond the center of core Roman territories.
Holst added: 'An amphitheater 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 there were many senior generals and politicians that held posts in the city.
This included Constantine, who appointed himself emperor there in 306 AD.
The presence of distinguished Roman leaders in York would have meant they required a lavish social life, so it is not a surprise to see evidence of gladiator events, as well as such an extensive burial site for them, the researchers said.
However, it is interesting to confirm the presence of animals as large as a lion at these sites, and not just wild boar and deer, they added.
Owners of gladiators would not have wanted them to die as they were expensive 'sports people' - not too dissimilar to sports stars of the modern era.
As such they wanted them to win and to be able to fight again.
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.
'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.'
The findings were published in the journal Plos One.
55BC - Julius Caesar crossed the channel with around 10,000 soldiers. They landed at a Pegwell Bay on the Isle of Thanet and were met by a force of Britons. Caesar was forced to withdraw.
54BC - Caesar crossed the channel again in his second attempt to conquer Britain. He came with with 27,000 infantry and cavalry and landed at Deal but were unopposed. They marched inland and after hard battles they defeated the Britons and key tribal leaders surrendered.
However, later that year, Caesar was forced to return to Gaul to deal with problems there and the Romans left.
54BC - 43BC - Although there were no Romans present in Britain during these years, their influence increased due to trade links.
43AD - A Roman force of 40,000 led by Aulus Plautius landed in Kent and took the south east. The emperor Claudius appointed Plautius as Governor of Britain and returned to Rome.
47AD - Londinium (London) was founded and Britain was declared part of the Roman empire. Networks of roads were built across the country.
50AD - Romans arrived in the southwest and made their mark in the form of a wooden fort on a hill near the river Exe. A town was created at the site of the fort decades later and names Isca.
When Romans let and Saxons ruled, all ex-Roman towns were called a 'ceaster'. this was called 'Exe ceaster' and a merger of this eventually gave rise to Exeter.
75 - 77AD - Romans defeated the last resistant tribes, making all Britain Roman. Many Britons started adopting Roman customs and law.
122AD - Emperor Hadrian ordered that a wall be built between England and Scotland to keep Scottish tribes out.
312AD - Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal throughout the Roman empire.
228AD - The Romans were being attacked by barbarian tribes and soldiers stationed in the country started to be recalled to Rome.