The Status of Women Gladiators in Ancient Roman Society

In Roman times, a beast fighter known as a bestiary would fight a bear with hunting dogs as a companion. Modern fighters don't fight animals. Modern fighters do not fight to the death (at least in legal fights), but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Ancient fighters were mostly slaves, criminals, and prisoners of war. Today's fighters are not slaves (at least not in a literal sense). Female gladiators eventually fought on the battlefield, but the original intentions were to provide sex appeal. Several of these gladiator women were not given challenging opponents. They mostly fought animals like boars and wild game.

Eventually, these gladiators began fighting one another. All male gladiators fought without their shirts. So, when women gladiators were allowed to start fighting, they were made to dress the same as men. That meant that they had to fight topless, too. Gladiator training camp was for men only. Women were not allowed to attend. Instead, they hired tutors for private lessons to teach "manly" skills to women. The other option was to have their father teach them how to fight. Most fighters today fight to make a living. The state and the Emperor needed to put on gladiatorial fights as a public spectacle to satisfy his subjects, which really took off (as a way of maintaining approval ratings). This was a smart way for the government to keep the public in check (by giving them what they wanted) and reduce the chance of revolt and disputes. Originally, these gladiator fights were put on by wealthy aristocrats who would spend a large amount of money to pay tribute to their family members.

Eventually, they developed from funeral rites into fully-fledged public entertainment. The women who fought as gladiators were labeled an "official disgrace." What this meant is that they went off the marriage market since they were now social outcasts. The female gladiator's status became like that of a sex worker since they had to fight almost naked. Even the male gladiators were categorized in the same employment category as prostitutes since gladiators were seen as selling their bodies for entertainment. So the legal rights of a gladiator, no matter the gender, aligned with those of sex workers. It's easy for Romans to believe that a woman, of her own free will, chose to be a gladiator because she was ostracized by her husband for being unfaithful and had no other choice, but I think it is also likely that this type of lifestyle would be a way out for lesbians that didn't want to be forced to marry a man. In modern times, our female gladiators don't have that problem and are out and proud.

The female slaves were given a small dagger and were put against tigers or bears to defend themselves. This was also used as a death sentence for criminals. Similarities: Both Roman gladiators and modern fighters have sex appeal. There are modern fighters, like in wrestling where they have a backstory, and they role-play an alter ego. There were gladiators who would do just this. In the legend of Achilles, he is fighting in a battle and kills a woman named Penthesilea, who was the queen of the Amazons. The audience would have known this legend and immediately picked up on the reference. The women's battle was essentially a reenactment of this story, and the decision to allow both Achillia and Amazon to live at the end was almost like giving the audience a happy alternative ending. In modern times, people attend events to see their favorite fighters.

In Roman times, it was too different. People would attend these games happily to see their favorite fighters. Today's athletes have merchandise sold with their names or faces celebrated. In Roman times, the gladiators, too, had items that immortalized them and their courageous battles. Examples: The Colchester Vase and the Gladiator mosaic at the Galleria Borghese. The souvenir shops were open for spectators during the battle. The most popular fighters were emphasized at these shops. People traveled from all over the Empire to see these popular Gladiator battles. People from all over the world also travel great distances to see their favorite modern-day fighter in a match. Just like we have different types of fighters today, Rome also had different classes of gladiators. The sector class of gladiators was trained to fight the retiarius class. Rome had mosaic pictorial recreations of popular fights that actually occurred and had the names of the gladiator who died and the one who was victorious. Almost how we memorialize famous sporting events

These mosaics show us that the popular gladiatorial contests were memorialized in the same way. Attire is another similarity. Just as the gladiators wore armor to protect their bodies, several modern sports require the athlete to wear protective gear. Just like today's fighters, the gladiators were an important investment, so they were cared for very well. Similar to modern fighters, gladiators had an extremely balanced diet; this consisted of dried fruit, barley, oatmeal, boiled beans, and ash. After their fights or training, the Roman gladiators had access to high-class medical care to make sure their master's investment was accurately examined. The modern-day matches we see sometimes get out of hand, and we have referees who step in and make sure the rules are obeyed. In the Roman games, they also had referees to step in and help officiate the match. There were senior referees called summa rudi and an assistant to help. And just like modern-day referees, they could pause or stop the match whenever they thought it was necessary. Like in modern times, where we see some of the famous fighters spending an evening with the elite clubs, gladiators also attended events at the Emperor's request. Many of us most likely have a favorite fighter we support and root for.

The people of Rome were no different and also supported certain gladiator classes, and each group had its own name. This is also the case for local rivalries. Today, certain groups of fans clash before and after the match, and it would be no different for the Gladiator fans. We put up billboards and different types of advertisements for our modern gladiators. In the city of Rome, they also decorated the walls with colorful advertisements of their gladiator celebrities endorsing the current products. Today's fighters are celebrities. They have many fans and high-powered agents to ensure they're making a lot of money. This was also the case in the Roman Empire. The gladiators were superstars. Today's fighters have a record kept that shows their stats: how many fights, how many wins, how many draws, etc. These stats help measure the amount a certain fighter is worth.

There is evidence of gladiator stats being recorded in the program of the games, in graffiti, and on the gravestones of the gladiators. Nowadays, we can keep up with our favorite athletes via the internet or TV. The Romans, too, had a way of relating this information to the citizens of Rome. They had several ways. The walls of the city (like today's billboards) depicted the winner standing over the defeated opponent. Mosaics depicting fights between famous gladiators boosted popularity. Many wall inscriptions gave a glimpse into the celebrity status of the gladiators. They were a vital part of daily life in Rome. Another way to keep up with the fighters was to check the Acta Diurna, which was Rome's handwritten version of our daily newspaper. There the readers could find out all about the latest games, who won, who lost, and who would live to fight another day, just like today's superfans. Hero worship flourished in Roman times. They even had gladiator action figures one could buy.

These action figures were made from bone and ivory. Men and women were trained in different types of combat, and there were four types of gladiators: The Myrmillo (Murmillo) had a helmet (with a fish crest), an oblong shield, and a sword. The Retiarius (who usually fought a Myrmillo) was lightly armed with a net and trident or dagger. The Samnite had a sword, a visored helmet, and an oblong shield. The Thracian (Thrax) was armed with a curved blade (a sica) and a round shield. Our MMA fighters also have several different fighting styles. Question 2 response: The Romans were always trying to up their game and make the shows more exciting, so they had gladiators take on different personas with an entirely new costumes and special armor. They had gladiator rivalries that continued for several battles. Similar to today's wrestling, where the fans can follow a narrative. In Rome, shows and money were closely connected when it came to entertainment. They were the two parts of the minimal contract between the government and its poorer citizens.

Today's fighters are just one of the many forms of entertainment. They definitely count as a direct way to direct your attention to something else. Many upper-class men ended up volunteering to be gladiators because of the fame, glory, and prize money that they would receive if they won else. Many upper-class men ended up volunteering to be gladiators because of the fame, glory, and prize money that they would receive if they won. There was no exception for the women gladiators. As a matter of fact, the majority of the female gladiators join of their own free will. For these women, this was a great opportunity for a single woman to earn good money and become a celebrity in society. With the money from her win, she could be financially independent and would not have to take orders from a father or husband. This was seen as a threat to women's roles in proper Roman society, and any woman who chose the path of a gladiator was revolting against Roman society.

A great number of gladiators were people who signed up willingly, perhaps as a result of social pressures or the financial and prestige rewards involved. Question 3 response: Many young kids in other countries get sucked into gangs because they see no other way of making a living and get into a situation where they have to fight with rival gangs, and many end up losing their lives. Big profits and cheap lives—that is the focus of today's modern slavery. Modern slavery exists, but it's not so obvious to everyone because it's not about owing people like it was in ancient times but about exploiting people as completely disposable tools for making money. A fighter losing an important fight could mean the loss of their career. Therefore she or he would have lost his livelihood. It is a loss or death for the fighter, as they would be losing the one thing they need to make a living. The death of their career. I've also read about the drug cartels that put on gladiator-type fights, where they put the people they kidnap in a ring and give them only a knife, and it would be a fight to the death. These people do not fight for a living; they fight for their lives. We also have our military personnel who go to war and lose their lives. Most enlist of their own free will, but we do have some of our military people who don't join willingly and get drafted only to lose their lives. Metaphorically, you can be a slave to your own thoughts and have to fight to stay or feel alive.

Cite this page