Bite marks found on the skeleton of a Roman gladiator represent the first archaeological evidence of a fight between a man and a lion, experts say.
The remains were discovered during excavations in 2004 at the Driffield Terrace site (Driffield Terrace) in York, England, which is now considered the only well-preserved Roman gladiator cemetery in the world.
Forensic analysis of a young man's skeleton has revealed that holes and bite marks on his pelvis were most likely the result of a lion attack.
Professor Tim Thompson, a forensic scientist who led the research, said this was the first "physical evidence" that gladiators fought big cats.
"For years, our understanding of Roman gladiator fights and animal spectacles has relied solely on historical sources and artistic depictions," says Thompson.
"This discovery provides the first direct, physical evidence that such events actually took place during this period, which changes our view of Roman entertainment culture in this region."
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Experts used modern forensic methods to analyze the wound, including a 3D scan that showed the animal had grabbed the man by the pelvis.
"Based on the analysis, we were able to determine that the bites occurred at the time of death or shortly before it," says Professor Thompson of Maynooth University in Ireland.
"So the animal did not get to the body after death, but the death was directly related to the attack."
In addition to scanning the injury, scientists compared the size and shape of the wounds to bite patterns from big cats at London Zoo.
"The bite marks on this individual are exactly consistent with a lion bite," Professor Thompson tells BBC News.
The bite sites offered researchers additional information about the circumstances of the gladiator's death.
"The pelvis is not a typical place for lions to attack, so we assume that this gladiator was fighting in some kind of spectacle, was incapacitated, and then was bitten and dragged away by the lion," explains Professor Thompson.
The skeleton of a man, aged between 26 and 35, was found in a tomb with two others, with horse bones laid over them.
Previous analyses indicated that it was a bestiary, a gladiator who fought wild beasts.
Malin Holst, who teaches osteoarchaeology at the University of York, says that in 30 years of analyzing skeletons, she has "never seen anything like these bite marks."
He also points out that the man's remains speak of a "short and rather brutal life."
He had large, strong muscles around his bones, and there were also traces of injuries on his shoulder and spine, indicating heavy physical labor and participation in combat.
"This is an extremely significant discovery because it allows us to begin to build a more complete picture of what gladiators looked like," adds Holst.
He also says that the findings, published in a peer-reviewed scientific and medical journal PLoS One, They also confirm "the presence of big cats, and probably other exotic animals, in arenas in cities like York, and that these animals also had to defend themselves from deadly threats."
Experts point out that this discovery supports the assumption that there was probably an amphitheater in Roman York, although it has not yet been discovered, in which gladiatorial fights were held as a form of entertainment.
The researchers add that the presence of prominent Roman leaders in York also implied a luxurious lifestyle, so it is not surprising that evidence of gladiatorial spectacles that served to display wealth and power is emerging.
"We may never know what brought this man to the arena where he may have fought for the entertainment of others, but it is extremely significant that the first archaeological evidence of gladiatorial combat has been found so far from the Roman Colosseum, which can be said to have been in terms of combat in the ancient world what Wembley Stadium is today," said David Jennings, chief executive of the independent educational charity. York Archaeology.
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