Bite marks from a large cat, likely a lion, found in a ancient skeleton are the “first physical evidence” that gladiators fought animals in Roman amphitheaters, new research shows.

A lion's bite has confirmed the death of a gladiator in an ancient Roman arena - revealing a brutal spectacle far beyond the Colosseum. Archaeologists have found the first physical evidence of ...

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 ...

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 ...

The skeleton of a man, who was between the ages of 26 and 35 when he died, was found with bite marks from a large cat — likely a lion — on the pelvis. The man died and was buried in a grave ...

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.” ...

(CN) — A skeleton found in a Roman cemetery in York offers the first physical evidence of a gladiator fighting — and dying — in combat with a lion, or large cat. The research, published Wednesday in ...

Citation: Thompson TJU, Errickson D, McDonnell C, Holst M, Caffell A, Pearce J, et al. (2025) Unique osteological evidence for human-animal gladiatorial combat in Roman Britain.