Lost mosaic reveals first image of female beast-fighter from the Roman era

Lost mosaic reveals first image of female beast-fighter from the Roman era

When you think of a fight between an animal and a human in ancient Roman sports, the mental image is usually of a big man vs. an animal in a big arena filled with cheering spectators. In a new study, Alfonso Manas, a researcher from the University of California, challenges that image. Manas presents evidence that a 3rd-century Roman mosaic from Reims, which depicts a topless figure with prominent breasts battling a leopard, is actually a visual …