Provincial Roman capital in Britain

By ⋅ June 7, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment
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We fight to the death for today’s Geo Quiz. The city we’re looking for today was an once an important military base in northern England. This was back in the first century AD, when the Romans invaded Britain. They established this walled city as a provincial Roman capital. What passed for entertainment in those days was somewhat barbaric. Trained fighters often fought to the death for the amusement of spectators.

So can you name this city near the Rivers Ouse and Foss where gladiators met their fate?

Geo Answer:

Kurt Hunter-Mann excavating two skeletons (photo courtesy of York Archaeological Trust)

Archeologists have now found what they say is a well preserved graveyard for Roman gladiators in our mystery city. More than 80 skeletons have been dug up at a site in York, England. Kurt Hunter-Mann is from the York Archaeological Trust has supervized the excavations. Marco Werman talked with him.

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Discussion

3 comments for “Provincial Roman capital in Britain”

  • DJ

    This story misleadingly implied that most gladiators fought to the death. Gladiators were more like valuable prize fighters and most often fought to first injury or submission. Death was often a result of a referee’s miscall (they had referees!).

    A typical event would have beast hunters in the morning, criminal executions (often by exotic beasts) at lunch, and gladiator fights as the main event in the afternoon. The gladiators did not fight “beasts” and the two groups, beast hunters and gladiators, were culturally seperated.

    For a great read on gladiators and Roman entertainment see “Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire,” edited by David Stone Potter, specifically the chapter on gladiators and beast hunts. Potter work is well researched and a fascinating read.

  • http://www.superdog.org Superdog

    expositio

    Besides archeology, one may understand a lot about everyday Roman life by studying the evolution of Roman Law.

    There were few abortions.Usually children were brought to life. Pater Familias, the owner of all forms of life on a villa would decide to keep or reject new born children.

    Rejected children would be “exposed”. Expositio would leave children to die in a location remote enough not to be heard crying.

    There was a business picking up and raising abandoned children to make slaves of them and give them value for mainly three industries; soldiers or gladiators, sex workers or some form of trade. Romans had a prolific sex working industry, as well as a massive circus fighting industry.

    One of the interesting aspects of Jesus teaching about children and protection of children, as well as other aspects, such as the liberation of Jewish slaves and contractual indentured, out of the law of Shabbat, is that these are examples where Jewish law is better than Roman law. In many respects, including the fact that Jewish law does not allow to kill one’s young, Jesus seems to imply that because Jewish Law is better than Roman Law, that ultimately Roman Law would be transformed by Jewish Law, not the other way around.

    Best and friendliest,

    Superdog.Org : Watchdog for Peace

  • roaming reader

    Fascinating story … just read Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Mark of the Horse Lord … set in Roman Britain. She managed to make stories of soldiers and yes, a gladiator, fascinating to someone who hates “war stories.” No glory in violence here, but realistic historical fiction written with the highest level of artistry. She was a near scholarly researcher who had a keen interest in archeology. In this book one gets an education in the world of the professional gladiator and life in Roman period Scotland. Her subtle but accurate description of landscape around Kilmartin as it was more than a thousand years ago … and how it figured in warfare there is a tour de force of history and artistry. Reissued in paperback in 2006.