In the late Roman Empire, the organizers of the games were gradually running out of wild animals; Barbary lions from North Africa—often captured for the spectacles in the Colosseum—had become scarce, and tigers, too, were growing rare. Yet the populace still craved entertainment of this kind. So, Emperor Caracalla turned his attention to a newly discovered species and harnessed it for his own purposes! The idea resonated with the public and became a genuine sensation! Some facts about the real Caracalla: Caracalla (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus; 4 April 188 in Lugdunum, present-day Lyon; died 8 April 217 in Mesopotamia) was Roman Emperor from 211 until his death. His official imperial name was Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus—adopted to evoke the popular emperor Marcus Aurelius.