Tales of gladiators going head-to-head with ferocious lions in ancient Rome’s coliseum are legendary. Scenes of such deadly combat have been portrayed in stories, paintings, and mosaics (a Man versus Big Cat conflict was even suggested in the movie “Gladiator,” but never actually depicted). But until now, there has never been any direct physical evidence that such contests took place.
A discovery showing tooth marks on a human bone suggests that these artistic accounts are more journalistic than fictional. It represents the first piece of archeological forensic evidence that man versus lion matches did, indeed happen during the Roman Empire, according to an article in PLOS One.
“For years, our understanding of Roman gladiatorial combat and animal spectacles has relied heavily on historical texts and artistic depictions,” Tim Thompson, an archeologist from Maynooth University, Ireland and lead author of the study, said in a press release. “This discovery provides the first direct, physical evidence that such events took place in this period, reshaping our perception of Roman entertainment culture.”
