10 hours agoShareSaveAlex MossBBC News, YorkshireVictoria GillScience correspondent, BBC NewsShareSaveThe findings, which have been published in the Journal of Science and Medical Research PLoS One, also confirmed the “presence of large cats and potentially other exotic animals in arenas in cities such as York, and how they too had to defend themselves from the threat of death”, she said. Experts said the discovery added weight to the suggestion an amphitheatre, although not yet found, likely existed in Roman York and would have staged fighting gladiators as a form of entertainment. The presence of distinguished Roman leaders in York would have meant they required a lavish lifestyle, experts said, so it was no surprise to see evidence of gladiatorial events, which served as a display of wealth. David Jennings, CEO of York Archaeology, said: “We may never know what brought this man to the arena where we believe he may have been fighting for the entertainment of others, but it is remarkable that the first osteoarchaeological evidence for this kind of gladiatorial combat has been found so far from the Colosseum of Rome, which would have been the classical world’s Wembley Stadium of combat.”
