An important archaeological discovery was made in the area of Saintes amphitheater in Southwest France, where hundreds of Roman graves were unearthed, containing individuals that have been buried there during the first or the second century AD.

Five of the skeletons found in the graves, four adults and one child, still had shackles on their necks and ankles, which has led the archaeologists to the conclusion that they were slaves.

It should be noted that Saintes was famous in the Roman times for its amphitheater, one of the oldest and largest in existence in France. The amphitheater dates back to 40AD and could hold between 12-18,000 people, who came to watch the battles that went on here between gladiators and as in Rome’s Colosseum, wild animals.

Some of the victims of those bloody performances may still lie buried in this area, condemned to spend eternity chained.