80 skeletons suspected to be Gladiators

[Astiryu1]

[url:qoxtse1n]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100607/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_gladiators__graveyard[/url]

Let the games begin. I thought we needed this one in it's own topic.

[Robert Vermaat]

Are these the same headless horsemen ah skeletons which we all thought were victims of some heinous crime?

[Viventius]

This is the same story as my Gladiators: Back from the Dead thread - links there, if you want to look My partner was the site director for the excavations and he is currently fielding requests for interviews from the media

[jvrjenivs]

From the other topic:

I came across this article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/ ... -graveyard

When reading this it seems to me that either they are talking about venatores (beast fighters) or noxi (condemned criminals). To me it sounds unlikely that a gladiator has a well trained right (sword) arm because as I can tell from my own experience a gladiator needs also a well trained left (shield) arm. To me this sounds more like a laborer of monotonous work such as a smith or any other craftsman etc. or a field worker.

Decapitation and hammer blows also point towards noxi because gladiators acc. to Junkelmann did not receive the hammer blow but only the noxi. Scars of animal bites of large carnivores point towards venatores or also noxi. Burial objects point to venatores as it would be unlikely that condemned criminals would receive a proper funeral.

I had exactly the same thoughts as Svenja expressed about the trained hand, that wouldn't fit most gladiators fighting styles (as we think to know them now-a-days). In this regard it would be nice to compare some of the bones with those found at ephesus. But yeah, everything with beast wounds I wouldn't count as a gladiator.

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/06 ... tml?hpt=C1

Here's another link to this. I just saw it this morning. How do they deduce that they were gladiators? From what I read I can't say conclusively that they were. Surely this will create some controversy here.

[john m roberts]

We went for about 2000 years without ever finding a gladiator burial. Then the Ridley Scott movie was a big hit. Now, you can't spade up your garden without striking a gladiator's grave.

[Astiryu1]

Indeed! Controversy is bound to happen but the Archeologists themselves are saying that it is "possible" they found Gladiators.
They haven't made a ruling themselves if they are or are not. Time will tell hopefully they are right!

[Olaf]

I am of the same oppinion as Svenja and Jurjen.
The main evidence put forward so far are the bite marks and these could just as well have belonged to noxii.
At least in Ephesos there were gravestones and other indications that Gladiators were buried there.

[Viventius]

Would noxii be afforded decent burials?

The producers have patently gone with the gladiator theory full throttle, but the archaeologists are more cautious about it.

[Viventius]

York Archaeological Trust is throwing down the gauntlet to would-be archaeologists to see if they can solve a puzzle that has sparked debate about human remains unearthed in York almost a decade ago:

http://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk/about/news.htm

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

I like how the YAT mentions a possible religious cult. Seems like I heard once about them being attacked by large animals in the arena and can see how they may have been decapitated after. Wouldn't that be just as possible as being gladiators? Also, wouldn't that be in agreement with burials as opposed to cremation? I agree with the statement about possibly being laborers to explain the larger arm development.

[john m roberts]

What do they mean by "larger arm development"? Are they talking about the right or the left arm? If the right, that would suggest a heavier sword or other weapon. If the left, a heavier shield. You would expect Roman soldiers to show greater left-arm development, perhaps Gauls wth heavier right-arm development. How about rowers? The inboard arm has a longer pull, so that arm and shoulder will show greater development. They're leaving too many things unclear. Is the skeleton with the tooth mark one of the ones that was beheaded? Is the tooth mark healed, indicating survival after the fight? There just isn't enough here.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

You would expect soldiers to have some sign of their service buried with them, wouldn't you? ie equipment etc?
Also why would violent decapiation rule them out as soldiers? Big game bite ok, but decapitaion would seem to be an occupational hazard for soldiers, who's enemies main weapons were long swords swung violently at their heads?

[Astiryu1]

Not much armor in the Neck area... :?

Would gladiatorial arms & armor be buried or recycled for the next gladiator?

[Viventius]

The website text by York Archaeol Trust (YAT) is not the definitive report and at least allows for other theories besides gladiators. And neither will the programme be the definitive report either, though it may address some of the questions that have been posed here. In due course, there will be a published monograph, which may answer a lot of questions, and doubtless raise many more - such is the nature of archaeology :lol:

I'm interested to see what YAT are going to put on their headless romans website next week!