Abstract:
This portfolio examines whether it is possible to determine gladiators and their injuries from human remains and the key bioarchaeological and historical caveats that require consideration when attempting to do so. This is done with the purpose of evaluating the interpretations of skeletal assemblages in Ephesus in Anatolia (modern day Turkey) and Driffield Terrace in Eboracum (modern day York). This is achieved through an analysis of the trauma and burial contexts of each assemblage. Part One of this portfolio investigates the extent to which the cause of trauma can be distinguished based on the nature of the injuries. The purpose of this is to determine the benefits and limitations of applying methods and principles of trauma analysis to bioarchaeological contexts which include possible gladiatorial remains. I argue that by evaluating trauma patterning and the presence of antemortem, perimortem and active lesion healing within gladiatorial remains we can obtain a more informative image of gladiatorial contests and the nature of the violence they faced. Part Two evaluates and interprets potential mechanisms of injury within gladiatorial contexts. I consider historical literature and iconographic evidence in order to construct a profile of the expected variation, characteristics and patterns of injury within gladiatorial remains. Part Three then employs the bioarchaeological caveats of trauma analysis and the contextual expectations of gladiatorial trauma as outlined in Parts One and Two in order to evaluate and summarise the interpretations for the Ephesus and Driffield Terrace assemblages. The results of this study revealed that while it is possible to determine the cause of trauma based on the nature of the injuries, all contextual evidence and other plausible explanations need to be taken into account. In the case of gladiators, acknowledgement of historical and burial contexts, including different weapons, armour, training and fighting styles may also aid in the interpretation of traumatic variation. For most gladiators all factors point towards the mitigation of trauma and their prevalence within the osteological record and that inhumation was the exception rather than the norm. In the case of Driffield Terrace, my analysis of trauma and historical context is more likely to be military than gladiatorial. In contrast, it cannot be said with certainty that the entire Ephesus assemblage is gladiatorial, although it remains plausible that with further evaluation, some individuals may prove to be.