Latest news with #Roman-occupied
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Gladiator bones finally confirm human-animal combat in Roman Europe
Archeologists in the UK and Ireland recently uncovered a rare find: the skeletal remains of a gladiator from Roman-era England. The bones not only help experts better understand the lives of fighters—they reveal who they fought against for the crowds' entertainment. And according to a study published April 23 in the journal PLOS One, the skeleton displays the first-ever evidence of human-animal combat in Europe during the Roman Empire. Gladiator combat is a well-documented aspect of ancient Roman society, but the physical remains of fighters have remained elusive. Due to this lack of bodily evidence, experts have instead long relied on historical accounts, artifacts, and artwork to learn about gladiator combats. Contemporary textual evidence indicates that in addition to humans, organizers forced combatants and prisoners to face large animal predators. Events known as 'venationes' (beast hunts) pitted trained and armed human performers against lions, boars, bears, elephants, and other animals. Meanwhile, 'damnatio ad bestios' battles focused on reenacting mythical stories involving wild animals, often as backdrops for public executions. Despite written evidence and physical relics like weapons and armor, the lack of forensic information made it especially challenging for historians and archeologists. For example, it remained unclear if gladiator matches held as much importance in Roman-occupied regions like Britain as they did in Rome itself. Images of these spectacles survive to the present-day, but no direct links have supported human-animal gladiator matches in Roman Britain. However, analysis of a man's skeleton excavated near York appears to finally offer concrete confirmation of the gruesome entertainment. According to study authors, the remains were initially discovered during a city development project nearly two decades ago in a larger gravesite. Recent bioarcheological examination and isotopic analysis indicated the individual was a 26-35 year old local at the time of his death, and was buried around 200-300 CE near Eboracum, the Roman city that preceded York. His cause of death starkly contrasted with other nearby remains. Experts previously noted a number of depressions on his pelvis resembling carnivore bites. After creating a three-dimensional scan of the area, researchers then compared the indentations to various animals' teeth marks. Additional consultation from zoologists confirmed a large cat such as a lion likely caused the injuriesby. Given their placement, the study authors also theorized the bites occurred as the predator was scavenging the body around his time of death. 'The implications of our multidisciplinary study are huge,' Maynooth University professor of archeology and study lead author Tim Thompson said in a statement. '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.' David Jennings, CEO of the independent charity organization York Archeology that contributed to the study, said the newest findings also spoke to the latest advancements in the field. 'One of the wonderful things about archaeology is that we continue to make discoveries even years after a dig has concluded,' he said. 'It is now 20 years since we unearthed 80 burials at Driffield Terrace. 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.' The first proof of human-animal combat in Roman Britain also helps clarify and situate regional culture during this time period. 'As tangible witnesses to spectacles in Britain's Roman amphitheatres, the bitemarks help us appreciate these spaces as settings for brutal demonstrations of power,' explained John Pearce, a study co-author and classics professor at King's College London. 'They make an important contribution to desanitizing our Roman past.' 'We may never know what brought this man to the arena where we believe he may have been fighting for the entertainment of others,' added Jennings. '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.'
Local France
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Local France
French director unveils Astérix series to stream on Netflix
The series is based on the 1961 comic book Astérix et Obélix: Le Combat des chefs (which appeared in English as Asterix and the Big Fight), the seventh in the series illustrated by Albert Uderzo and written by René Goscinny about the pugnacious warrior Astérix and his menhir deliveryman sidekick Obélix. There are five episodes of about 20 minutes each, with three being shown to an appreciative audience at the festival before they go live on the streaming site April 30th. After a flashback to the heroes' childhood where viewers discover how Obélix fell into the magic potion, the action returns to 50BC, where the last independent village in Roman-occupied Gaul finds itself under siege. Advertisement The village druid Getafix has lost his mind, and the recipe for the potion, after Obélix accidentally crushes him with a menhir. The Romans stir up trouble between rival Gaulish tribes, and Chief Vitalstatistix must defeat his counterpart from a Gallo-Roman village, Ceramix, or risk falling under Caesar's yoke. "I always liked 'The Big Fight' for the dynamic with the Gallo-Romans. Here, there are truly invaders, resistance fighters, and collaborators," said Chabat, who used his own voice to dub Astérix. Actor Gilles Lellouche is the voice of Obélix, whom he played in the live action movie Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, which sold 4.6 million tickets in 2023. But Chabat's 2002 Cleopatra movie remains by far the most successful adaptation of the Astérix comic books, with close to 15 million entries in France, making it the eighth most successful film in France, and the fourth for a French production. Chabot's initial plan was to make a full-length animated movie but as production started he decided to turn it into a series, which gave him greater leeway to introduce new characters. Some 400 million copies of Astérix books have been sold in 130 languages and dialects, with Ukrainian being added to the list earlier this year, and a 41st album is due in October.
