Bite marks, possibly from a lion, on a human skeleton, discovered in a 1,800-year-old cemetery on the outskirts of York, provide the first material evidence of combat or hunts between humans and animals for spectacle in the amphitheatres of the Roman Empire.
In reporting the news, numerous newspapers, TV channels, magazines, websites, social media pages, and so on incorrectly headlined the story: "gladiator vs. lion" instead of using terms such as venator, the hunter of beasts, or bestiarius, the fighter against wild beasts; gladiators in the Imperial period fought exclusively against humans.
This error was made by Professor Tim Thompson of Maynooth University, the research lead, who, to simplify the story for journalists and generate media attention, made the mistake, later corrected, of using the term gladiator. But now the media, which immediately seized upon the opportunity to create sensational headlines, has labeled the skeleton as that of a "gladiator," suggesting that gladiators fought beasts in amphitheaters.

The news instead informs us that a recently examined skeleton from York, England, believed to date back to the 3rd century AD, shows unmistakable signs of a fatal encounter with a large predatory feline, possibly a lion.
The skeleton, belonging to a man between the ages of 26 and 35, was discovered nearly twenty years ago during an archaeological excavation at Driffield Terrace, a burial site near the Roman city of Eboracum, now York, where approximately 80 gladiator tombs have been found. York at the time served as a Roman city and primarily as a legionary fortress, making it the second-largest population center in Great Britain after Londinium, now London.
The research confirmed that the man had been bitten in the pelvis, in two distinct places, in a pattern reminiscent of the jaws of a large feline such as a lion, leopard, or tiger, although the depth of the bite suggests a lion.

The team, using 3D scanning and comparison with bite patterns from zoo animals and animals from the African savannah, determined that the wounds were most likely inflicted during the man's final moments.
Adding to the mystery, the man had been decapitated, a feature common to most of the more than 80 skeletons found at the site, dating to between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. The researchers hypothesized that the decapitation may have been done to end the man's suffering or as a demonstration of Roman custom. Further analysis of the man's bones revealed spinal problems due to overuse and limb abnormalities resulting from constant physical stress, characteristics that suggested physical problems related to constant training.
What makes this discovery so extraordinary is that physical evidence of combat between humans and wild animals is extremely rare. The widespread distribution of thousands of artistic and literary depictions, such as mosaics and Latin texts, often depicts venatores, or animal hunters, or bestiarii, or animal fighters, in amphitheaters. Skeletal remains indicating such encounters have been virtually nonexistent until now.

The bite marks on the man's hip match those caused by large cats, but large cats typically kill their prey by biting the head or neck, thus eliminating the possibility that it was a death sentence, the famous "damnatio ad bestias" or the sentence to be devoured by beasts, reserved for certain criminals during the Imperial period. It is also true that in cities where legions were stationed, such as York, this punishment was not practiced due to certain imperial regulations.
According to the study and analysis of the teeth, the feline most likely originated in North Africa. The lion or a different feline was likely transported along established supply routes, which also transported large quantities of wine, oil, and grain across the Mediterranean and continental Europe to York, given that it was a legionary base. The movement of huge numbers of wild animals, used in Roman spectacles, is well known, although criticized by many for its impact on ancient wildlife. The story is told without moral judgments.