04-05-2004, 11:43 AM
Dunno is someone already put that one on RCS. But anyway here it is and it comes as some sort of surprise to me...<br>
..And be indulgent. Remember this is a wire service story, not an archaeologists' report..<br>
F'rinstance, I think its "'retiarii" and not "retiariae".. And so on...<br>
<br>
VIENNA, April 4 (AFP) - Hollywood has portrayed them as muscle-bound and handsome but Austrian anthropologists have found evidence suggesting that Roman gladiators were fat vegetarians who bore scant resemblance to Russell Crowe.<br>
The scientists did tests on skeletons of two different types of gladiators -- the myrmillos and retiariae -- found at the ancient site of Ephesus, near Selsuk in Turkey.<br>
"Tests performed on bits of bone taken from the skeletons of some 70 gladiators buried at Ephesus seem to prove that they ate mainly barley, beans and dried fruit," said Karl Grossschmidt, a forensic doctor who took part in the study by Austria's institute of archeology.<br>
"This diet, which has been mentioned in the oral history, is rather sad but it gave the gladiators a lot of strength even if it made them fat," said Grossschmidt who is a member of Vienna's institute of histology and embryology.<br>
The Austrian paleo-anthropologists relied on a method known as elementary micro-analysis that allows scientists to determine what a human being ate during his lifetime.<br>
With the help of a sonar, they could establish the chemical concentrations inside cells in the bone samples taken from the skeletons at Ephesus.<br>
From this, they could deduce how much meat, fish, grains and fruit made up the diet of the Roman fighting machines.<br>
A balanced diet of meat and vegetables leaves equal amounts of zinc and strontium in the cells, while a mainly vegetarian diet would leave high levels of strontium and little zinc, Grossschmidt said.<br>
"The bone density here was higher than usual, as is the case with modern athletes," said Fabian Kanz from the department of analytical chemistry at Vienna University.<br>
This line of testing allowed the scientists to debunk another myth -- that of the strappy Sparticus sandal sported in the arena.<br>
"The bone density is particularly high in samples taken from the feet, which would suggest that the gladiators fought with their bare feet in sand," Kanz said.(Ant.Luc. notes: this is confirmed by the mosaics)<br>
He believes that because some gladiators fought with little more than their bare hands, they could have "cultivated layers of fat to protect their vital organs from the cutting blows of their opponents."<br>
In ancient Rome, the classical battle of gladiators usually pitted a myrmillo armed with a sword, a helmet and a round shield, against the lightly armed retiarius who carried only a net and a dagger (Ant.Luc. notes: you forgot the trident, dummy..), or a samnite who wore a visor and a leather sheath protecting his right arm. (Ant.Luc. notes:...Oh forget it, I give up...)<br>
They were mostly slaves who volunteered to fight because sometimes the victor would be freed as a reward, or poor Romans who fought for pay.(Ant.Luc notes
<br>
The Austrian scientists are still carrying out further tests, but if their initial findings are confirmed it would change the glamorous image of the men immortalised in movies like Spartacus, starring a young Kirk Douglas, and the more recent Gladiator with Crowe in the main role.<br>
"It seems that the gladiators tried to put on some weight before their battles," Kanz said.<br>
"But this does not mean that they did not work hard to lose it again once they stepped out of the ring," he added with a smile.<br>
The archeological site of Ephesus is one of the most important in Turkey.<br>
The city was founded by the Greeks but it was the Romans who made it the capital of their Asian province and turned it into one of the wealthiest cities of their empire.<br>
Austrian anthropologists have been working on the site since 1898.<br>
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..And be indulgent. Remember this is a wire service story, not an archaeologists' report..<br>
F'rinstance, I think its "'retiarii" and not "retiariae".. And so on...<br>
<br>
VIENNA, April 4 (AFP) - Hollywood has portrayed them as muscle-bound and handsome but Austrian anthropologists have found evidence suggesting that Roman gladiators were fat vegetarians who bore scant resemblance to Russell Crowe.<br>
The scientists did tests on skeletons of two different types of gladiators -- the myrmillos and retiariae -- found at the ancient site of Ephesus, near Selsuk in Turkey.<br>
"Tests performed on bits of bone taken from the skeletons of some 70 gladiators buried at Ephesus seem to prove that they ate mainly barley, beans and dried fruit," said Karl Grossschmidt, a forensic doctor who took part in the study by Austria's institute of archeology.<br>
"This diet, which has been mentioned in the oral history, is rather sad but it gave the gladiators a lot of strength even if it made them fat," said Grossschmidt who is a member of Vienna's institute of histology and embryology.<br>
The Austrian paleo-anthropologists relied on a method known as elementary micro-analysis that allows scientists to determine what a human being ate during his lifetime.<br>
With the help of a sonar, they could establish the chemical concentrations inside cells in the bone samples taken from the skeletons at Ephesus.<br>
From this, they could deduce how much meat, fish, grains and fruit made up the diet of the Roman fighting machines.<br>
A balanced diet of meat and vegetables leaves equal amounts of zinc and strontium in the cells, while a mainly vegetarian diet would leave high levels of strontium and little zinc, Grossschmidt said.<br>
"The bone density here was higher than usual, as is the case with modern athletes," said Fabian Kanz from the department of analytical chemistry at Vienna University.<br>
This line of testing allowed the scientists to debunk another myth -- that of the strappy Sparticus sandal sported in the arena.<br>
"The bone density is particularly high in samples taken from the feet, which would suggest that the gladiators fought with their bare feet in sand," Kanz said.(Ant.Luc. notes: this is confirmed by the mosaics)<br>
He believes that because some gladiators fought with little more than their bare hands, they could have "cultivated layers of fat to protect their vital organs from the cutting blows of their opponents."<br>
In ancient Rome, the classical battle of gladiators usually pitted a myrmillo armed with a sword, a helmet and a round shield, against the lightly armed retiarius who carried only a net and a dagger (Ant.Luc. notes: you forgot the trident, dummy..), or a samnite who wore a visor and a leather sheath protecting his right arm. (Ant.Luc. notes:...Oh forget it, I give up...)<br>
They were mostly slaves who volunteered to fight because sometimes the victor would be freed as a reward, or poor Romans who fought for pay.(Ant.Luc notes
<br>The Austrian scientists are still carrying out further tests, but if their initial findings are confirmed it would change the glamorous image of the men immortalised in movies like Spartacus, starring a young Kirk Douglas, and the more recent Gladiator with Crowe in the main role.<br>
"It seems that the gladiators tried to put on some weight before their battles," Kanz said.<br>
"But this does not mean that they did not work hard to lose it again once they stepped out of the ring," he added with a smile.<br>
The archeological site of Ephesus is one of the most important in Turkey.<br>
The city was founded by the Greeks but it was the Romans who made it the capital of their Asian province and turned it into one of the wealthiest cities of their empire.<br>
Austrian anthropologists have been working on the site since 1898.<br>
<p></p><i></i>
