Gladiatrix: Female gladiators in Ancient Rome
Female gladiators were a rarity in Ancient Rome, but the role they played was fascinating. Read on to find out more.
Image: A marble relief from around the 1st or 2nd century showing two female gladiators, Amazon and Achillia in combat | Lanmas / Alamy Stock Photo
When discussing Ancient Rome and the gladiators who fought in the Colosseum, it’s difficult not to picture huge, muscled men with bushy beards duking it out. This is often the depiction of the typical gladiator in pop culture and media, with the Gladiator movies being a prime example.
However, there is a type of gladiator that often goes unrecognized: the female gladiator, also known as the gladiatrix or gladiatrices. These women were fierce fighters, shrouded in mystery, with little documentation or references to them in history.
What we do know is mostly determined via inscriptions and literary sources taken from the early Roman Empire and the end of the Roman Republic. Join us here at Sky HISTORY as we examine the gladiatrices and their roles in ancient Rome.
When did female gladiators emerge in Rome?
Female gladiators did not appear until later in Roman history. Historians speculate on the exact dates, but most agree that they began to emerge in the 1st century AD, around 107 AD, to be more precise, during Emperor Nero’s reign.
At this point in history, gladiators had become a significant part of entertainment in Rome. Bringing women into the fray was a great way to spice things up, offering something unique and different. Many considered female gladiators to be an exotic rarity, so adding them to the roster heightened the spectacle of Colosseum fights.
Rome was experiencing a shift in perspectives, both politically and socially, at the time when gladiatrices came to be. Including them reflected these changes while also adding a bit of shock value to the games.
What did female gladiators do?
Gladiatrices were similar to gladiators in that their role involved fighting for entertainment. They would fight wild animals, such as lions or boars, or one another to prove their courage and strength while entertaining the people of Rome. As well as fighting each other, gladiatrices would also fight those with disabilities.
However, there was more to female gladiators than cheap entertainment. Their position challenged the constructs of society significantly. Their mere existence suggested change and defiance, veering away from the traditional domestic roles that women were confined to. Audiences enjoyed their inclusion in the games, as they were a fascinating novelty of sorts.
Female gladiators in Roman art and architecture
It is difficult to pin down the exact date that female gladiators began to be documented in Rome. However, a jest from a scholar in the 4th to 5th century is considered the first introduction to the term gladiatrix.
The scholar speculated on whether women training to perform at a festival that involved racy, half-naked dancing wanted to be gladiatrix-meretrix. This translates to 'gladiator prostitute'.
Although this was the first documented use of the gladiatrix term, archaeological and artistic evidence exists before this. One particularly prominent piece of evidence is a marble relief from around the 1st or 2nd century. This relief came from Halicarnassus, which is now Bodrum in Turkey.
The relief shows two female gladiators fighting. The two figures don armour and weaponry identical to that used by gladiators (though they don't wear helmets), making it hard to decipher their gender. However, their names – Amazon and Achillia – are inscribed on the marble, proving that they are indeed women.
Another piece of evidence is a bronze statue originating in the 1st century. The statue is thought to be a female gladiator. She wears distinctive fascia, fabric strips gladiators would wrap around their limbs to protect themselves. She is also raising what seems to be a curved dagger or sword and is standing in a pose that suggests victory in battle.
Female gladiators in Roman texts
There have been a few references to gladiatrices in Roman texts, though they are rare to find. One significant example comes from Roman historian and administrator Cassius Dio.
When attending a festival held to honour the mother of Emperor Nero, Dio wrote of how women of varying ranks participated. The text states that women 'drove horses, killed wild beasts and fought as gladiators, some willingly, some sore against their will'.
Senator and historian Tacitus also confirmed that women of all ranks were often involved, writing, 'Many ladies of distinction… disgraced themselves by appearing in the amphitheatre.'
There is no doubt that the story of female gladiators is a fascinating one, even if it is not particularly well documented. Their role as fighters was often treated as a novelty for audiences to enjoy. That being said, women stepping foot into the combat arena also suggests a significant change for the role of women in Roman society.
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