Free Republic

In Ancient Rome, female fighters were known as “Gladiatrix” and were basically the equivalent of Roman male gladiators. However, instead of fighting other men, they fought other Gladiatrix or even wild animals. These battles took place during special events in arenas and festivals. It’s important to note that there are no Latin words from the Roman period that specifically referred to the Gladiatrix. The term “Gladiatrix” is more of a recent term used to describe these female fighters. There is limited historical evidence and documented accounts of their existence, according to Heritage Daily. To the ancient Romans, seeing women gladiators...

THE GLADIATRIX WERE THE FEMALE EQUIVALENT OF THE ROMAN GLADIATOR, THAT FOUGHT OTHER GLADIATRIX OR WILD ANIMALS DURING RARE OCCURRENCES IN ARENA GAMES AND FESTIVALS. There are no defining Latin words from the Roman period for a Gladiatrix (a modern invention), and documented accounts or historical evidence is limited. To the Romans, combat involving Gladiatrix was a novel event (although contemporary accounts often report in a derogatory manner), in which the combatant would most likely be pitted against fighters of similar skill and capacity. According to the Roman poet, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, the Gladiatrix trained for gladiatura using the same...