Female Gladiators of the Ancient Roman Empire

Video

by Kelly Macquire and Sebastian Beck
published on 01 June 2023

Female gladiators in ancient Rome – referred to by modern-day scholars as gladiatrix – may have been uncommon but they did exist. Evidence suggests that a number of women participated in the public games of Rome even though this practice was often criticized by Roman writers and attempts were made to regulate it through legislation.

Female gladiators are often referred to in ancient texts as ludia (female performers in a ludi, a festival or entertainment) or as mulieres (women) but not often as feminae (ladies) suggesting to some scholars that only lower-class women were drawn to the arena. There is a significant amount of evidence, however, that high-born women were as well. The term gladiatrix was never used in ancient times; it is a modern word first applied to female gladiators in the 1800's.

— SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON—
https://www.patreon.com/join/whencyclopedia

— BUY OUR MERCH —
https://www.worldhistory.store​/​

— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
0:50 Gladiators in Ancient Rome
2:05 Types of Female Gladiators and Physical Evidence for Them
3:24 Literary Evidence for Female Gladiators
4:34 Roman Women’s Rights and Female Gladiators
6:44 Why Women Chose to Be Gladiators
7:53 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Ten Ancient Rome Facts You Need To Know
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1507/ten-ancient-rome-facts-you-need-to-know/
Female Gladiators in Ancient Rome
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/35/female-gladiators-in-ancient-rome/
The Crisis of the Third Century
https://www.worldhistory.org/Crisis_of_the_Third_Century/
Enemies of Rome in the 3rd Century
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1145/enemies-of-rome-in-the-3rd-century-ce/
Roman Empire
https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Empire/

— WATCH NEXT —
Ancient Rome Playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRIPanKDxKpt23JtCUEa7Cw787eohdqIP
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtB0wxDKmbc&list=PLRIPanKDxKpt23JtCUEa7Cw787eohdqIP&index=7&t
Pax Romana or the Roman Peace Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyruglATn8o&list=PLRIPanKDxKpt23JtCUEa7Cw787eohdqIP&index
Ancient Roman Society and Social Order
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCC–cinutQ&list=PLRIPanKDxKpt23JtCUEa7Cw787eohdqIP&index=5&t

— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/female-gladiators-of-the-ancient-roman-empire-images-and-attributions-16826

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org

#gladiator #ancientrome #romanhistory

Subscribe to this author

About the Author

Kelly Macquire & Sebastian Beck

Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

Related Content

Filters:

All 

Definitions14

Articles49

Images29

Videos3

Collections2

Teaching Materials2

Article

Female Gladiators In Ancient Rome

Female gladiators in ancient Rome – referred to by modern-day scholars...

Definition

Roman Gladiator

A Roman gladiator was an ancient professional fighter who usually...

Article

The Spartacus Revolt

The revolt of the gladiator Spartacus in 73-71 BCE remains the...

Article

Roman Games, Chariot Races & Spectacle

If there was one thing the Roman people loved it was spectacle...

Image Gallery

25 Images of Roman Gladiators

This gallery features images of Roman gladiators. In ancient Rome...

Definition

Amphitheatre

An amphitheatre was a structure built throughout the Roman empire...