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,

This week, a string of archaeological studies lend insight into Roman gladiators, an ancient crocodile-like beast, and a prehistoric bird nearly lost to time.

Though dramatic images of ancient Roman gladiators fighting great beasts like lions and tigers have appeared in books and films for decades, archaeologists never had any direct proof that such battles actually took place — until now.