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The Dark Side of Roman Arenas: Bear Skull from Viminacium Offers First Osteological Evidence of Animal Brutality
A newly unearthed brown bear skull from the ancient city of Viminacium in Serbia has shed unprecedented light on the dark underbelly of Rome’s celebrated amphitheater culture. Dated to the 3rd century CE, the skull provides the first direct osteological evidence that wild animals, far from being exotic spectacles alone, were brutalized, caged, and repeatedly…