Unique osteological evidence for human-animal gladiatorial combat in Roman Britain
Date published
2025-04-23
Free to read from
2025-04-29
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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Type
Article
ISSN
1932-6203
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Citation
Thompson TJU, Errickson D, McDonnell C, et al., (2025) Unique osteological evidence for human-animal gladiatorial combat in Roman Britain. PLOS ONE, Volume 20, Issue 4, Article number e0319847
Abstract
The spectacle of Roman gladiatorial combat captures the public imagination and elicits significant scholarly interest. Skeletal evidence associated with gladiatorial combat is rare, with most evidence deriving from written or visual sources. A single skeleton from a Roman cemetery outside of York where gladiators arguably were buried presented with unusual lesions. Investigation, including comparative work from modern zoological institutions, has demonstrated that these marks originate from large cat scavenging. Thus, we present the first physical evidence for human-animal gladiatorial combat from the Roman period seen anywhere in Europe.
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Github
Keywords
43 History, Heritage and Archaeology, 44 Human Society, 4301 Archaeology, 4303 Historical Studies, 4401 Anthropology, General Science & Technology