08-06-2014, 07:28 AM
This is a very interesting topic indeed, and best regards to the reenactors of the female gladiators, I think is very cool and admirable, and for sure something to watch (as the ancient Romans would probably had a guilty pleasure to watch as well)
From what I read there are quite few primary sources talking about women as gladiators (or at least training themselves as such, full gear and all), including sometime even free women (as it was the case with free men citizens as well), possibly doing it just for the thrill.
I think Juvenal mention something about this (in a negative tone, as something not cool for the conservative and patriarchal Roman society) and the Senate or some emperor had make a law that said that free women and men under some age (20 or 25 if I remember correct) were not allowed to participate as gladiators in fights in arena.
I doubt as well that female gladiators (who were probably not very numerous anyway) would have been normaly put to fight one on one against a professional or trained male gladiators, or at least that would have been some exceptional event.
Even at equal or close skills the man will be most of the time significantly stronger so have an advantage from the start, and I do think Romans wanted a balanced enough fight (executions of prisoners and such are a different matter).
I am not saying is impossible (and some women can be quite strong as well, physically speaking, and very skilled) but I doubt it would have been something common.
I forgot that article I read, not sure how close to reality was, however it was said that most probably female gladiators were fighting against male gladiators during group fights, when two groups representing opposing armies or units/troops fight eachother. And women (included in one or both groups) more then probably would have use bows and arrows (maybe riding a chariot) as primary weapons (like the mythological Amazons).
I imagine that at some point they may come to sword fights too vs male gladiators during the fight, but not as intended from the start.
Women warriors were not that unheard in ancient times, beside the (half) mythological Amazons (I do think the myth have a real base, even if probably was then at least a little exaggerated by later authors imagination) there were other examples.
Like the poetess Telesilla and the women of Argos who defeated a Spartan invasion, but yes, these were not common things.
As someone mentioned here there was an entire female army corp in Dahomey (in XIX century Africa, true), and they were quite renowned for their military prowess, so I think is not impossible to exist some similar custom in ancient Africa as well.
From what I read there are quite few primary sources talking about women as gladiators (or at least training themselves as such, full gear and all), including sometime even free women (as it was the case with free men citizens as well), possibly doing it just for the thrill.
I think Juvenal mention something about this (in a negative tone, as something not cool for the conservative and patriarchal Roman society) and the Senate or some emperor had make a law that said that free women and men under some age (20 or 25 if I remember correct) were not allowed to participate as gladiators in fights in arena.
I doubt as well that female gladiators (who were probably not very numerous anyway) would have been normaly put to fight one on one against a professional or trained male gladiators, or at least that would have been some exceptional event.
Even at equal or close skills the man will be most of the time significantly stronger so have an advantage from the start, and I do think Romans wanted a balanced enough fight (executions of prisoners and such are a different matter).
I am not saying is impossible (and some women can be quite strong as well, physically speaking, and very skilled) but I doubt it would have been something common.
I forgot that article I read, not sure how close to reality was, however it was said that most probably female gladiators were fighting against male gladiators during group fights, when two groups representing opposing armies or units/troops fight eachother. And women (included in one or both groups) more then probably would have use bows and arrows (maybe riding a chariot) as primary weapons (like the mythological Amazons).
I imagine that at some point they may come to sword fights too vs male gladiators during the fight, but not as intended from the start.
Women warriors were not that unheard in ancient times, beside the (half) mythological Amazons (I do think the myth have a real base, even if probably was then at least a little exaggerated by later authors imagination) there were other examples.
Like the poetess Telesilla and the women of Argos who defeated a Spartan invasion, but yes, these were not common things.
As someone mentioned here there was an entire female army corp in Dahomey (in XIX century Africa, true), and they were quite renowned for their military prowess, so I think is not impossible to exist some similar custom in ancient Africa as well.
Razvan A.
