Analysis of a bear skull found at a Roman amphitheater east of Belgrade reveals that while the bear was brown, its fate was grizzly, probably dying from an infected wound. In the process, it provides the first direct confirmation of widespread accounts that bears and gladiators fought to the death for the Romans’ entertainment. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Ancient Roman amphitheaters are notorious for hosting battles to the death and blood “sports” between humans and animals. The presence of lions in the Colosseum is particularly famous. So it would be more surprising if bears were never a feature of Roman entertainment than if they were. Writings and art of the day describe bears being used to fight gladiators, as

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