Maynooth University—A groundbreaking study* has uncovered the first physical evidence of human-animal gladiatorial combat in the Roman period.
The research presents compelling skeletal evidence of a human victim attacked by a large carnivorous animal, likely within the context of Roman-era spectacle combat. It was conducted by an international team of archaeologists and osteologists, led by Tim Thompson, Professor of Anthropology and Vice President for Students and Learning at Ireland’s Maynooth University.
While images of gladiators being bitten by lions have appeared in ancient mosaics and pottery, this is the only convincing skeletal evidence using forensic experiments anywhere in the world of bite marks produced by the teeth of a large cat, such as a lion.
The findings center on a single skeleton discovered in a Roman-period cemetery outside York in England, a site believed to contain the remains of gladiators. The individual’s bones exhibited distinct lesions that, upon close examination and comparison with modern zoological specimens, were identified as bite marks from a large feline species. The bite marks on the pelvis of the skeleton represent the first osteological confirmation of human interaction with large carnivores in a combat or entertainment setting in the Roman world.
Lead author Prof Thompson outlined the significance of the discovery:“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 research, published in the journal of science and medical research PLOS One, is a collaboration between leading institutions including Maynooth University, Cranfield University, Durham University, the University of York, King’s College London, York Archaeological Trust, now known as York Archaeology, and York Osteoarchaeology Ltd. It highlights the brutality of these spectacles and their reach beyond Rome’s core territories.
The study contributes a vital new dimension to our knowledge of Roman Britain, reinforcing the region’s deep connection to the empire’s entertainment traditions. These findings offer new avenues for research into the presence of exotic animals in Roman-period Britain and the lives of those involved in gladiatorial combat.
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Lesion on the left iliac spine of 6DT19. From the research paper: Unique osteological evidence for human-animal gladiatorial combat in Roman Britain
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Lesion on the right ilium of 6DT19. From the research paper: Unique osteological evidence for human-animal gladiatorial combat in Roman Britain
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Marble relief with lion and gladiator. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
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Article Source: Maynooth University news release.
*Unique osteological evidence for human-animal gladiatorial combat in Roman Britain, PLOS One, 23-Apr-2025. 10.1371/journal.pone.0319847
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