Gruesome stuff, indeed. However, one point that puzzled the forensic scientists need not be so mysterious. The rectangular holes in the skulls of some of the gladiators were put there by a man dressed up like Charon, who was present at all the games. His specific job was to hit all mortally wounded gladiators in the head with a sledge hammer to make sure they were dead. The dead gladiators would then be carried off for burial by another man dressed in the fantastic costume of Hermes Psychopomp. It’s all in my book, We Look for a Kingdom: The Everyday Lives of the Early Christians, on page 91.

Can’t wait to read it, Carl!