The skull of a brown bear discovered near a Roman amphitheater in Serbia reveals that the wild animal had been kept in captivity for years and was fighting off an infection when it died around 1,700 years ago. The find is the first direct evidence of the use of bears in the gladiatorial arenas in the Roman Empire. The fragmented skull of a brown bear (Ursus arctos) was excavated in 2016 near the amphitheater at Viminacium, a Roman frontier military base in present-day Serbia.
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The amphitheater at Viminacium was built in the second century A.D. Oval-shaped with high walls, it could seat about 7,000.
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Bears had a variety of roles. They could be made to fight "venatores," gladiators who specialized in hunting; to brawl with other animals; to execute convicts; or to give trained performances. Unlike traditional gladiators who fought other humans, venatores demonstrated skill with weapons like spears with the beasts. The venatio spectacles were a popular form of entertainment.
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The Siberian brown bear weighs as much as 360 kg (800 pounds), and approximates the size of the North American grizzly.
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