Gladiator graveyard discovered in northern England

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Gladiator graveyard discovered in northern England
By SYLVIA HUI, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jun 7, 1:14 pm ET

LONDON – Dozens of headless skeletons excavated from a northern English building site appear to be the remains of Roman gladiators, one of whom had bites from a lion, tiger, bear or other large animal, archaeologists said Monday.

Experts said new forensic evidence suggests the bones belong to the professional fighters, who were often killed while entertaining spectators.

Most of the skeletons were male and appeared stronger and taller than the average Roman, with signs of arm-muscle stress that suggest weapons training that began in the men's teenage years.

The team investigating the remains said that one of the best clues was carnivore tooth marks found on the hip and shoulder of one of the skeletons.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100607/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_gladiators__graveyard

[dana_b]

1. barbarism knows no particular century

any better than another.

[Chulanowa]

2. As I am seeing ads...

The one htat popped up for this thread advertises an MMO and has the line, "BECOME A GLADIATOR!"

The story is talking about headless dead dudes who got chewed up by a bear.

I'm all like "yeah I'll pass, thanks, advertisement"

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Northern England? So 'bread and circus' was not limited to Rome?

[Art_from_Ark]

4. I wonder if gladiator fights in England morphed into "bear-baiting"

which was popular in England for centuries before it was banned in the 1830s.

[Odin2005]

6. IIRC it evolved into bull-fighting in Spain.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Speaking of cemeteries:Rain uncovers ancient cemetery in Nicaragua

Rain uncovers ancient cemetery in Nicaragua
Jun 8, 2010, 4:52 GMT

Managua, Nicaragua - Archeologists have discovered the remains of an indigenous cemetery dating back about 4,500 years on the island of Ometepe in southern Nicaragua, local media reported.

The discovery was made after heavy rains last week uncovered the remains, including five human skeletons, bone fragments and pieces of pottery, Ghitis Moises Rivera, director of the museum in Ceibo on the island, said Monday.

The finds date from '2,500 BC to 300 years later,' judging from the type of pottery found, he said.

Local authorities asked police to protect the site from grave robbers until the arrival of more archaeologists.

Valuable pre-Colombian artefacts had already been found on the island. Ometepe was settled by the Choroteca and Nahuatel people, who migrated to Central America from northern Mexico.

The volcanic island, which is located in the lake of Cocibolca, was added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves Wednesday.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/americas/news/article_1561485.php/Rain-uncovers-ancient-cemetery-in-Nicaragua

[Nihil]

7. K & R ...

Thanks for posting that.
(Will get opinions on this from my pet archeology student!)

+
> "The presence of bite marks is one of the strongest pieces of evidence
> suggesting an arena connection. It would seem highly unlikely that this
> individual was attacked by a tiger as he was walking home," said Michael Wysocki,
> a lecturer in forensic anthropology and archaeology who studied the skeletons.

:rofl:

[Vogon_Glory]

8. Gladiator's Cemetery: If The Brits Were More Amurrican-Minded

If the Brits were more "Amurrican-minded," I'd expect the owners of some prosperous British football club to sponsor the preservation of the cemetery and converting the dead gladiators into posthumous fans for their football team.

:crazy:

[Uncle Joe]

9. Those were the days before free agency, you just couldn't get a decent contract.

Thanks for the thread, Judi Lynn.