"Gladiatrix" links here. For the Marvel Comics super-hero/villain, see Gladiatrix (comics). Marvel Comics (Stan Lee is behind many of the superheros) is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... Gladiatrix is a fictional heroine published by Marvel Comics. ...

Though rare in the Roman world, female gladiators or gladiatrices (sing. gladiatrix) did exist, and are attested in archaeology and literature. Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... Pollice Verso (With a Turned Thumb), an 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, is a well known history painters researched conception of a gladiatorial combat. ...

In classical literature

Julio-Claudian era

The Larinum decree under Tiberius banned senators' daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters, and "any female whose husband or father or grandfather, whether paternal or maternal or brother had ever possessed the right of sitting in the seats reserved for the equites" from training or making paid appearances as gladiators, implying though not confirming that some females did already appear as gladiators.^[1] The first attested appearance of them is under Nero, at the games organised by Patrobius for Tiridates I of Armenia^[2] There is also a reference in Petronius's Satyricon^[3] - possibly based on a factual show - to a female 'essediarius', or one who fought from a Celtic style chariot.^[4] Larino is a town (it. ... Tiberius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16, 42 BC – March 16 AD 37), was the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37. ... The Roman Senate (Latin: Senatus) was the main governing council of both the Roman Republic, which started in 509 BC, and the Roman Empire. ... An Equestrian (Latin eques, plural equites) was a member of one of the two upper social classes in the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. ... Nero[1] Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, AD 37 – June 9, AD 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ... Tiridates, was the youngest brother of the Parthian king Vologases I., who with interruptions from 53 to 68 or 72 was king of Armenia and founder of the Armenian line of the Arsacid Dynasty known as the Arshakuni Dynasty in Armenia. ... Tiridates, was the youngest brother of the Parthian king Vologases I., who with interruptions from 53 to 68 or 72 was king of Armenia and founder of the Armenian line of the Arsacid Dynasty known as the Arshakuni Dynasty in Armenia. ... Petronius (c. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Flavian era

Thus Emperor Domitian, contrary to popular belief, was not the first to employ female gladiators as something new for amphitheatre spectators. However, his female gladiator fights are the best referenced, being mentioned in Suetonius^[5], Martial^[6] and Statius.^[7] Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 – 18 September 96), commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor of the gens Flavia. ... Marcus Valerius Martialis, known in English as Martial, was a Latin poet from Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. ... Publius Papinius Statius, (c. ...

Juvenal

A strong condemnation against female gladiators of the Flavian and Trajanic eras can be found in the Satire VI of Juvenal, decrying the fact female gladiators were typically from upper-class families and seeking thrill and attention. This article is about the Roman Emperor. ... Satire VI of Juvenal is often titled Against Women in English translation. ...

Who has not seen the dummies of wood they slash at and batter

Whether with swords or with spears, going through all the manoeuvres?

These are the girls who blast on the trumpets in honour of Flora.

Or, it may be they have deeper designs, and are really preparing

For the arena itself. How can a woman be decent

Sticking her head in a helmet, denying the sex she was born with?

Manly feats they adore, but they wouldn’t want to be men,

Poor weak things (they think), how little they really enjoy it!

What a great honour it is for a husband to see, at an auction

Where his wife’s effects are up for sale, belts, shin-guards,

Arm-protectors and plumes!

Hear her grunt and groan as she works at it, parrying, thrusting;

See her neck bent down under the weight of her helmet.

Look at the rolls of bandage and tape, so her legs look like tree-trunks,

Then have a laugh for yourself, after the practice is over,

Armour and weapons put down, and she squats as she used the vessel.

Ah, degenerate girls from the line of our praetors and consuls,

Tell us, whom have you seen got up in any such fashion,

Panting and sweating like this? No gladiator’s wench,

No tough strip-tease broad would ever so much as attempt it.

In Roman mythology, Flora was a goddess of flowers and the season of spring. ... Greek greaves from 500 b. ... A reenactor dressed as a Roman soldier in lorica segmentata The lōrīca segmentāta was a type of armour primarily used in the Roman Empire, but the Latin name was first used in the 16th century (the ancient form is unknown). ... // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ... Consul (abbrev. ... For the book or movie Striptease see Striptease (book) and Striptease (movie) A striptease is a performance, usually a dance, in which the performer gradually removes their clothing for the purposes of sexually arousing the audience, usually performed in nightclubs. ...

Banning

Emperor Severus banned female gladiators around AD 200.^{[citation needed]} Lucius Septimius Severus (b. ... Dionysius Exiguus invented Anno Domini years to date Easter. ... For other uses, see number 200. ...

In classical archaeology

London

In September 2000 the Museum of London announced that it had excavated a grave in Southwark, London purported to be that of a female gladiator. The press soon dubbed the occupant "Gladiator Girl." The grave goods found within the grave included numerous oil lamps, and one even depicted a fallen gladiator ^[8]. Scholars still debate if the occupant is truly a gladiator, as the evidence is intriguing but not conclusive ^[9]. 2000 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December This is a timeline for events in September, 2000. ... Interior showing the Mayors state coach The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Palaeolithic to the present day. ... The Borough or Southwark is an area of the London Borough of Southwark situated 1. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Halicarnassus

Relief of two gladiatrices found at Halicarnassus.

The most compelling piece of evidence for the existence of female gladiators is a marble relief found in Halicarnassus and currently on display at the British Museum.^[10] The relief depicts two female gladiators. With an adopted nom de guerre appearing beneath each of them (Amazon^[11] and Achillia^[12]), they are depicted in loinclothes and wearing traditional gladiator equipment such as greaves and a manica. Each is armed with a sword and shield; neither is wearing a helmet nor a shirt (they are bare-breasted, as in contemporary sculptural depictions of amazonomachy, but perhaps also implying a degree of sexual titillation in the use of female gladiators).^[13] Image File history File links Gladiatrix_relief. ... Image File history File links Gladiatrix_relief. ... The centre of the museum was redeveloped in 2000 to become the Great Court, surrounding the original Reading Room. ... A pseudonym or allonym is a name (sometimes legally adopted, sometimes purely fictitious) used by an individual as an alternative to their birth name. ... The Amazons (in Greek, Αμαζόνες) were an ancient nation of female warriors or a society dominated by women, at the edges of Scythia in Sarmatia (Herodotus). ... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... A loincloth is a one-piece garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt, which covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. ... A greave (from 12th century French greve shin, of uncertain origin) is a piece of armour that protects the leg. ... A manica was a type of leather arm guard worn by Roman gladiators. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 496 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1935 pixel, file size: 908 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Sculpted neo attic sarcophagus representing an amazonomachy in the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum, inv. ... Amazons were warrior women of Greek legend believed to have lived on the northern fringes of Greece, modern Thrace and toward the Black Sea. ... Nudity is a common subject both in fine arts and popular culture. ...

In Renaissance art

Among the pictures commissioned in Italy by king Philip IV of Spain for his Palacio del Buen Retiro in Madrid, there is a series on Roman circuses including a picture of female gladiators. Philip IV (), (April 8, 1605 – September 17, 1665) was King of Spain from 1621 to 1665 and also King of Portugal until 1640. ...

Notes

1. ^ Full text of the decree
2. ^ Annals, 15.32.3, which mentions that "women of distinction" appeared, which implies the failure of the Larinum decree.
3. ^ Satyricon, XLV
4. ^ This may be a titillating reference to Boudica fighting from a chariot, which occurred at the time the piece was written - gladiatorial fights often referenced barbarians and mythology in this way.
5. ^ "He gave hunts of wild beasts, gladiatorial shows at night by the light of torches, and not only combats between men but between women as well.", Suetonius, Life of Domitian, 4.1
6. ^ He mentions Hercules's fight with the Nemean Lion being re-enacted by a "feminine Mars" (ie a woman). This fight may reference Hercules' submission to Omphale, during which she wore his lion skin and club. She was queen of Lydia, a region close to the home of the Amazons. Martial, de spectaculis 6.
7. ^ He mentions as a 'new luxury' the "female sex, untrained and unpractised in using swords, fighting neutered men. You would think these cavalry-troops were sweating to ride to savage Tanais or Thermodonian Phasis.", in Statius, Silvae, 1.6.51-56. As in the Halicarnassus relief and in Martial, female gladiators are here referenced to the Amazons.
8. ^ Finds
9. ^ News story
10. ^ British Museum catalogue
11. ^ Yet again referencing the Amazons.
12. ^ A feminised form of Achilles. Roman gladiatorial games often referenced classical mythology and this seems to reference Achilles' fight with Penthesilea, but give it an extra twist of Achilles being 'played' by a man.
13. ^ Professor Kathleen Coleman[1] of Harvard University details the relief extensively in her academic manuscript "Missio at Halicarnassus" Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 2000; 100: 487-500[2].

Statue of Boudica near Westminster Pier, London, with her two daughters upon a chariot Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly better known as Boadicea) (d. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Heracles. ... The Nemean Lion (Latin: Leo Nemaeus) was a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived in Nemea. ... Mars was the Roman god of war, the son of Juno and either Jupiter or a magical flower. ... In Greek mythology, Omphale was a queen or princess of Lydia. ... Lydia (Greek ) is a historic region of western Anatolia, congruent with Turkeys modern provinces of İzmir and Manisa. ... Sarmatian cataphract from Tanais. ... The Thermodon river is currently named Terme or Therme-Tchai, and it is located in northern Turkey between the cities Ordu and Fatsa. ... The Rioni River is the principal river of western Georgia. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... In Greek mythology, Penthesilea (also spelled Penthesilia) was an Amazonian queen, daughter of Ares and Otrera, sister of Hippolyte, Antiope and Melanippe. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Founded in 1636,[2] Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning still operating in the United States. ...

External links

• Female Gladiators of the Ancient Roman World
• Portal on Female Gladiators
• Ludus
• Historical sources for female gladiators
• Professor Steven Murray, "Female Gladiators of the Ancient Roman World" Journal of Combative Sport 2003
• The Light Bearer, Woman Gladiator Historical Fiction