Usually armed with a sword and
shield, gladiators were highly-skilled and well-trained slaves who fought to
the death. Their purpose was to entertain crowds of people. As slaves, most gladiators
fought because they had to; however, some men and women volunteered. A victorious
gladiator could be rewarded with laurels, a monetary payment, or donations from
the crowd. Very successful gladiators
could be granted their freedom. Although
their role has been glorified in movies such as "Gladiator" starring Russell
Crowe, ancient gladiators had a very cruel and unforgiving life. The oath of the gladiator - "uri, vinciri,
verberari, ferroque necari" - translates
to "I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be
killed by the sword".
Discovery
In the
city of York in Northern England, a cemetery has been revealed that perplexed
scientists for over 5 years. Back in 2003 a burial site with over 80 skeletons
was discovered. The unusual part was the condition of the skeletons, whose
condition ranged from decapitation to bite marks from large animals like a bear
or tiger.
Originally,
the graveyard was thought to be filled with the bodies of criminals or purges,
but the more evidence that is gathered appears to back the gladiator graveyard
theory. All of the skeletons were male, most above average height. "One of
the most significant items of evidence is a large carnivore bite mark -
probably inflicted by a lion, tiger or bear - an injury which must have been
sustained in an arena context, " said Kurt Hunter-Mann, the lead
archeologist on the dig. "It would seem highly unlikely that this
individual was attacked by a tiger as he was walking home from the pub in York
2,000 years ago," he added.
Many of the skeletons had one arm which was bigger than the
other , which suggests that gladiators were trained with a weapon in hand from
a young age. Joints of meat were also
buried along with some of the bodies, which could be a sign of some of the meat
eaten at the funeral.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/06/07/england.roman.cemetery/?hpt=C1
| 
Re: Gladiator Graveyard
