Female Gladiators in the Ancient Roman World | Katrina Kelly History
Channel: Katrina K
Date: 09/01/2020

Did you know there were female gladiators in the ancient Roman world? 

I created this video about female gladiator’s in the ancient Roman world for amusement, parody, and ancient history. It provides a glimpse into women’s’ role in the ancient gladiatorial games.
 
Did you know there were female gladiators in the ancient Roman world?
 
Well, all you Warrior Women out there–there were! It was such an ordeal. that men Emperors had to take the time and energy to establish decrees forbidding women to take part in the arena.

I’m Katrina Kelly, an Art History and Humanities professor. But, today, my stage name is Amazon, recalling the tribe of women warriors that fought the Greeks.  Female gladiators had stage names often recalling great heroes from Greek mythology–and epics like Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem Iliad that describes the final year of the Trojan war. 

Gladiators were considered superstars of their day. 

Men and women wanted to be them.

Yet, Roman society held them in great contempt. 
They were considered to be the lowest of the low.

For a man of high social status to degrade himself by performing in the arena, was bad.

For a noblewoman to appear in the arena, was the lowest.

The poet Ovid recommended going to the circus and games in hopes of sitting next to women to pick up.

Until Emperor Augustus came along…

By Katrina Kelly,  Art History.

ART IMAGE
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marble_relief_with_female_gladiators,_1st-2nd_century_AD,_from_Halicarnassus_(modern_Bodrum,_Turkey),_British_Museum_(17590535705).jpg

Marble relief with female gladiators, 1st-2nd century CE, from Halicarnassus (modern Bodrum, Turkey), British Museum.

Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]