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.

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

Bite marks discovered on the skeleton of a gladiator in Roman-era England suggest the man faced off with a lion in the arena, according to a new study.