Gladiator graveyard found

Just spotted this in the Glasgow Daily Record:

Bones and weapons found in Ephesos have allowed scientists to piece together a clear picture of how the fighters lived.

Karl Grossschmidt, of the University of Vienna, said: "What we can say with authority is that they did not live and die like many of the combatants in the film Gladiator."

His colleague Marcus Junkelmann added: "The condition of the bones shows that they were athletes of the very highest order. These men were not cannon fodder, but the SAS of their day [poor analogy; "Thai boxers" might be closer -- D.]. The men who were found in the Ephesos graveyard were trained like the top athletes of today. We have learned from them how their muscles were transformed by intensive training, aided by an excellent diet". . .

The scientists found that nine out of 10 gladiators were killed by a stab through the shoulder blades.

The article was awfully short, so I started looking for more. Sure enough, a much more extensive report appeared in the Sunday Times of London in mid-December (mea culpa -- it slipped past me). Fortunately, a copy of the Times article (which is long and full of fascinating details) is available here.

Posted by David on February 3, 2003 10:30 PM