Archaeologists recreate ancient Roman gladiator school found in Austria
Archaeologists recreate ancient Roman gladiator school found in Austria
By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 14:00 EST
A team of archaeologists said Wednesday they have discovered the almost complete remains of a Roman school of gladiators on the banks of the Danube in Austria and virtually recreated the site using sophisticated techniques.
The so-called ludus “is on a scale to rival the famous ludus magnus, the gladiatorial school behind the Coliseum in Rome,” the archaeologists said in a statement.
The team, announcing their findings in the journal Antiquity, said the “spectacular” find at Carnuntum was mapped and virtually reconstructed using non-invasive techniques such as aerial surveys, electromagnetic induction and ground-penetrating radar.
“The resulting archaeological maps and plans of individual buildings, streets and Roman infrastructure allow the virtual reconstruction of the city layout and the development of ancient land- and townscapes in two and three dimensions,” they said.
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/26/archaeologists-recreate-ancient-roman-gladiator-school-found-in-austria/
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Gladiator School Discovery Reveals Hard Lives of Ancient Warriors
Archaeologists have mapped an ancient gladiator school, where the famed warriors lived, trained, and fought.
By Dan Vergano
National Geographic
Published February 25, 2014
Ancient Rome's gladiators lived and trained in fortress prisons, according to an international team of archaeologists who mapped a school for the famed fighters.
Discovered at the site of Carnuntum outside Vienna, Austria, the gladiatorial school, or ludus gladiatorius, is the first one discovered outside the city of Rome. Now hidden beneath a pasture, the gladiator school was entirely mapped with noninvasive earth-sensing technologies. (See "Gladiator Training Camp."
The discovery, reported Tuesday evening by the journal Antiquity, makes clear what sort of lives these famous ancient warriors led during the second century A.D. in the Roman Empire.
"It was a prison; they were prisoners," says University of Vienna archaeologist Wolfgang Neubauer, who led the study team. "They lived in cells, in a fortress with only one gate out."
The discovery shows that even outside Rome gladiators were "big business," Neubauer says. At least 80 gladiators, likely more, lived in the large, two-story facility equipped with a practice arena in its central courtyard. The site also included heated floors for winter training, baths, infirmaries, plumbing, and a nearby graveyard.
More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140225-gladiator-school-discovered-roman-austria-archaeology-science/
