A discovery in an English garden led to the first direct evidence that man fought beast to entertain the subjects of the Roman Empire.

Researchers compared puncture marks on an 1,800-year-old skeleton in the UK to various animal bites, and concluded that the individual was likely bitten by a lion.

Bite marks found on the skeleton of a Roman gladiator are the first archaeological evidence of combat between a human and a lion, experts say. The remains were discovered during a 2004 dig at Driffield Terrace,