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Brief item from York Press:
A SKELETON – thought to be the remains of a Roman gladiator – has gone on display in York.
The skeleton is on display at the Jorvik Viking Centre from today.
It is one of 80 skeletons unearthed in the city by York Archaeological Trust over the last seven years.
The skeleton, which was the subject of a TV documentary last week, displays one of the most significant pieces of evidence supporting the lead archaeological theory that the skeletons are the remains of Roman gladiators – a large carnivore bite mark believed to have been inflicted by a lion, tiger or bear, probably in the arena.
John Walker, York Archaeological Trust chief executive, said: “The skeletons have been the subject of global interest over the last week. We want to give people the opportunity to see for themselves some of the evidence that our archaeologists have worked with to develop their theories on the skeletons’ origins.”
via Roman gladiator remains go on display in York | York Press.
Of course, to be pedantic, if the guy was killed by a wild beast he probably technically wasn’t a gladiator; more likely someone involved in a venatio or condemned ad bestias (which I personally think would be a more interesting angle) …
Previous coverage:
Gladiator Graveyard?
Gladiator Graveyard Followup
rogueclassicism 