A lion bit a Roman gladiator during combat in Britain, archaeologists say

First of all, many losing gladiators would survive because – as shown in Roman art – the fight often ended with the surrender of the losing/exhausted/incapacitated gladiator, followed by the decision of the games-giver (who might delegate to the crowd) if they live or die, he says. In any case, the forensic analysis here suggests that the pattern of the teeth fits a lion and the man died for show before a roaring crowd some time between the year 200 to 300 in ancient Eboracum, on which the city of York would arise. "People wonder about the behavioral dynamics of the animals in the arena, how hard it was to get them to fight in the first place, rather than to seek shade or shelter, or even because of their familiarity with humans (some likely captured as cubs and reared), e.g., see the lion being led in the Nennig mosaic.

Author: Ruth Schuster

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