Women Gladiators????

[Medusa Gladiatrix]

however, among many standing, defeated gladiators we see similar techniques, possibly to 'unman' the defeated gladiators in the sculpture. So it may be that the sculptur was merely showing the 'unmanliness' (if there is such a word) of the defeated gladiator. I guess this will always remain in the 'we'll never know' pile?

Many thanks

This is what Junkelmann and other scholars think, too, to show the unmanliness of the defeated gladiator. If you have a close look at this picture you will see that there besides this awkward stance of the looser nothing female about the two combatants. Esp. if you have a look at the winner who is shown from the front he definitely has no female breasts.

It would be very much unlikely if a man would be pitched against a woman, so to say in this relief the winner being a man and the looser a woman, because gladiator duels were always equally balanced. Henceforth women fought only women and men only men.