Bite marks on York skeleton reveal first evidence of gladiators fighting lions

A skeleton discovered in a cemetery in has provided the first evidence of gladiatorial combat between humans and lions. Fictional depictions of gladiators often show them facing off against wild animals - including Russell Crowe's clash with three tigers in the iconic 2000 film, Gladiator. But real world evidence of such battles has remained scarce.

Now, a skeleton excavated from one of the best-preserved gladiator graveyards in the world, Driffield Terrace, has provided new insight into the practice. Thought to belong to a male aged between 26 and 35, it shows bite marks experts have matched to a lion.

Malin Holst, lecturer in osteoarchaeology at the University of York, said: "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." The lion bite mark was confirmed by comparing it to sample bites from a lion at a zoo.

Researchers said the wound was not healed and was therefore likely to have the gladiator's cause of death. The individual appeared to have been decapitated after death, a practice which is thought to have been a ritual during the Roman period.

The skeleton was buried in a grave with two others, overlaid with horse bones. It also showed signs of spinal issues, inflammation of the lung and thigh, and childhood malnutrition.

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."

Mr Holst added: "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."

York is thought to have hosted gladiator arena events until as late as the fourth century AD. Many senior generals and politicians held posts in the city, including Constantine, who was proclaimed Roman Emperor there in 306AD.

David Jennings, chief executive 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 research was published in the scientific journal PLOS One.