Most of the skeletons were violently decapitated and appeared to have been buried with some respect

From AFP

London – Archaeologists believe they have found the world’s best-preserved gladiator cemetery in York after unearthing skeletons that suffered the kind of violent injuries usually sustained in a Roman amphitheatre, researchers said on Monday.

The York Archaeological Trust has dug up 80 skeletons that date from the first century AD to 4 AD. They were found at the Driffield Terrace site in York where excavation work started in 2004.

Gladiators — famously depicted in Hollywood films by Russell Crowe and Kirk Douglas — were trained fighters who entertained Roman crowds in savage clashes against other warriors and ferocious animals.

Forensic tests carried out on the skeletons show that the majority of the deceased were male, very robust and mostly above average height.

Most of the skeletons were violently decapitated and appeared to have been buried with some respect.

One of the biggest clues that the deceased might have been gladiators came when the research team found bite marks on one of the skeletons.

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