Treasures Decoded

The Headless Gladiators of York (4x4)

Air date: May 15, 2017

It was one of grizzliest finds in Roman archaeology. The decapitated remains of over 80 battle scarred skeletons, all buried in the same plot, in the same ritualistic manner nearly two thousand years ago. So who were these people? The macabre discovery took place in 2004 when archaeologists were excavating a plot of land in the Historic city of York in North East England. Within days of unearthing the first skeleton, the body count had reached double figures - and kept rising.