Although less common than their male counterparts and often looked down upon by society at the time, there were indeed brave women who participated in dangerous gladiatorial fights.
In the British Museum, there is an ancient marble relief depicting two fighters battling with swords and shields. This scene is typical of ancient Rome, except for one intriguing detail: both fighters are female. The inscription on the relief, found in Halicarnassus, Turkey, states that the two fighters fought to a draw with honor. Is this artwork a unique piece, or were female gladiators a common sight in ancient Rome?
A marble relief in the British Museum depicting two female gladiators without helmets.
Female Gladiators in Ancient Rome
Studying ancient cultures often presents challenges for scholars, especially when we have to interpret evidence through the lens of modern perspectives. In ancient Roman society, women were typically confined to domestic roles and were not encouraged to engage in physical activities, particularly public and violent ones like the arena.
However, when it comes to female gladiators, there is always intriguing evidence to explore. The aforementioned marble relief may be one of the clearest images of female gladiators in ancient Rome.
The bronze statue of a female gladiator at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg is a remarkable discovery, helping us understand more about women’s roles in ancient Roman society, especially in activities deemed exclusive to men like the arena.
Another bronze statue (dating back approximately 2,000 years) is also believed to depict a female gladiator and is currently housed in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg. This small statue is thought to represent a female athlete holding a strigil—a curved tool used to scrape dirt and sweat from the skin. In a 2011 article, Alfonso Manas from the University of Granada suggested that this statue indeed depicts a female gladiator, specifically a Thraex, a type of fighter who fought with a short, curved dagger.
According to Manas, ten passages and one inscription are all the textual evidence we have about female gladiators, making it challenging to piece together a complete picture.
Female gladiators were often looked down upon and ridiculed by society. They were seen as going against social norms.
The Role of Female Gladiators
While we celebrate gladiators on modern TV, the social status of gladiators in ancient Rome was quite different. Fighting or performing in the arena for public entertainment was considered a lowly position, so any woman who wished to enter the arena would face disdain. As the Roman satirist Juvenal remarked:
“What sense of shame could be found in a woman wearing a helmet, who shuns femininity and prefers to resort to brute force… If an auction were to be held to sell off your wife’s belongings, how proud you would be of her girdle, her arm protectors, and her half-length shin guards! Or, if instead, she preferred another form of fighting like a Thraex, both legs protected, how delighted you would be when the girl of your heart sold her boots!… Listen to her moan as she practices the thrusts as the trainer has instructed, wilting under the weight of the helmet.”
Although female gladiators were rarer than male gladiators, they still existed.
Although not common, female gladiators were part of ancient Roman history. They were brave women willing to overcome all barriers to pursue their dreams.
“Women who chose life in the arena—and it seems this was a choice—might have been driven by a desire for independence, an opportunity for fame, and financial rewards including debt relief,” explains Joshua Mark, Director of Content for the World History Encyclopedia. “While it may seem that a woman forfeited all claims to respect the moment she stepped into the arena, there is some evidence to suggest that female gladiators were honored on par with their male counterparts.”
The search for evidence of female gladiators in ancient Rome depends on the ability to interpret the artifacts we find.
From marble reliefs to bronze statues and ancient texts, female gladiators of ancient Rome were not just figures of legend but real warriors who fought for honor and acclaim. These ancient Roman female gladiators stand as a testament to resilience and courage, breaking societal biases and proving that they too could fight and shine in the arena.
