Rare lost tomb of Roman gladiator found 2,000 years later in extraordinary discovery: scientists

See you later, gladiator.Archaeologists in Naples, Italy, have shed new light on the lives of Roman gladiators after discovering a tomb for one of these ancient warriors that lay hidden for 2,000 years.The findings offer a “rare and touching testimony to the memory of these fighters in the society of the era,” according to the Facebook page of the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Naples Metropolitan Area.Researchers made the “extraordinary” find while excavating a 1,600-square-foot necropolis — an ancient cemetery with ornate tomb monuments — located near the location of the ancient settlement of Liternum, an ancient town in Giugliano, Campania that flourished from the 1st-3rd centuries BC, the Daily Mail reported.It was reportedly located close to a forum and amphitheater where these iconic combatants — perhaps even the warrior in question — clashed for spectators’ entertainment a la Ridley Scott’s immortal 2000 action thriller “Gladiator.”Said repository did not contain the actual remains of the warrior.However, researchers identified it as a gladiator burial ground thanks to a funerary inscription that was engraved in the marble, Popular Mechanics reported.One of several epitaphs found on site, the inscription is “a valuable document for understanding the role and memory of these fighters in Roman society,” per a translated statement by the Superintendence.It could have also indicated that the necropolis could’ve housed the remains of a number of the famed fighters.It’s yet unclear if said individual died in combat or via other causes.

Interestingly, contrary to depictions in movies like “Spartacus,” gladiatorial battles often didn’t go to death because, among other reasons, skilled warriors were expensive — you wouldn’t want to sacrifice your star quarterback every game.This epitaph was one of several fascinating discoveries uncovered during the excavation, during which the diggers reporte...