Female Gladiators of the Ancient Roman Empire

Video

Kelly Macquire
by and
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.

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— 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/

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— 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
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#gladiator #ancientrome #romanhistory

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About the Author

Kelly Macquire
&
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.

The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Macquire, K. (2023, June 01). Female Gladiators of the Ancient Roman Empire. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2957/female-gladiators-of-the-ancient-roman-empire/

Chicago Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Female Gladiators of the Ancient Roman Empire." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified June 01, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2957/female-gladiators-of-the-ancient-roman-empire/.

MLA Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Female Gladiators of the Ancient Roman Empire." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 01 Jun 2023. Web. 24 Apr 2024.

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