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Hello Uzzi :)

York — about 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of London — was one of the largest cities in Roman Britain, and experts believe bands of gladiators touring the Roman Empire occasionally traveled here to put on fighting shows.
Wysocki said gladiators were often beheaded as an act of mercy after suffering horrific injuries during their fights. All of the skeletons were buried with pottery, animals or other offerings, suggesting they were respected people, not criminals.
But some experts said more evidence was needed to prove that the York burial ground was exclusively for gladiators.
"It's clearly a very intriguing cemetery, but I'm skeptical. Identifying gladiators is always tricky," said Jim Crow, the head of archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. "There could be a host of circumstances for a group of men who've lost their heads — they might be soldiers beheaded for some particular reason."
Jenny Hall, a senior curator of Roman archaeology at the Museum of London, said it was unlikely 80 fighters died while performing in York because the gladiator shows were expensive to put up and many were choreographed.
"We know that (gladiators) toured the empire, but very little is known about them in Britain," Hall said. "They would be performing for the local governor or a rich person, but it was probably on rare occasions."



More at:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRqR0-2RtJCEmaXknw5LhCy8haQgD9G6IHN00

well my yorkie ancestors if going by a 100yrs ago were forging metals and being prats ...Driffield is a little bit out from mine, so they can't have been my prats, or thugs.

I'm not sure Janey, I'm going to have to watch the programme. I also thought that they would be local.

Having died such violent deaths, I should imagine there would be more descendants of the spectators than the gladiators but then again I could be wrong.

I don't have any Yorkshire ancestors (as far as I know). Hmmm I wonder if there were any gladiators around Chester or should I say Deva ;)

Oh, on the outside looking in. No Yorkshire ancestors that I have any hint of, me. Well, not in the last 300 of those 1800 years, anyway. ;)

Bite marks. Um ...

Gladiators would have received some honour in death I think?

But they would indeed have been locals and not Romans from what little I know. I never did see Spartacus.

1,800 years ago?....... Watching Gladiators?

The mystery of 1,800-year-old remains unearthed in York may have been solved thanks to bite and hammer marks on their decapitated skulls.

Archaeologists have exhumed 80 skeletons from gardens at Driffield Terrace over the past decade.

The results of forensic work on the skeletons suggests they may be part of the world's only well-preserved Roman gladiator cemetery.

Marks on the remains suggest some individuals died in a violent manner.

The research features in a Channel 4 documentary, Gladiators: Back from the Dead.

More at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/york_and_north_yorkshire/10253483.stm

Gladiators: Back From The Dead will be shown on Channel 4 on Monday, 14 June at 2100 BST