This week, a string of archaeological studies lend insight into Roman gladiators, an ancient crocodile-like beast, and a prehistoric bird nearly lost to time.

Bite marks found on the skeleton of a Roman gladiator are the first archaeological evidence of combat between a human and a lion, experts say. The remains were discovered during a 2004 dig at Driffield Terrace,

Skeletal remains in a Roman burial ground in northern England were found to have lesions that looked suspiciously like bite marks. Modern forensic techniques found that the teeth behind the marks probably belonged to a large feline, and the part of the skeleton that had been in the creature’s mouth further indicated it must have been a lion.