Historians uncovered accounts of women participating in VIP matches for emperors and high officials in ancient Rome, and fighting bare-breasted!
By amrita carroll y Jerry Lawton
12:15 PM ET, Nov 18, 2025
[Image of a gladiator fighting bare-chested with the caption: The gladiators of ancient Rome fought bare-chested and had stage names such as Amazon.]
Historians revealed that some gladiators of ancient Rome were women who fought bare-chested and had stage names such as Amazon.
The Untold Story of Female Gladiators in Ancient Rome
For centuries, the image of a gladiator has been synonymous with powerful, muscular men battling for glory in the Roman arena. However, a growing body of evidence reveals a hidden history: women also fought as gladiators in ancient Rome, tho their stories have largely been overlooked.
According to the LiveScience news website, “Several lines of evidence, including past records and artistic depictions, suggest that female gladiators did exist in the Roman Empire.” While significantly less common than male gladiators, their presence is confirmed through a combination of historical texts, inscriptions, and archaeological artifacts. Currently, evidence is limited to around a dozen texts and inscriptions, alongside a small number of artifacts depicting them.
These female gladiators, known as gladiatrices (singular: gladiatrix), participated in combat, often as a novelty or special attraction. They frequently fought each other, and sometimes even against male gladiators or animals. One notable detail is that women competing in these VIP matches were not allowed to wear helmets.
The Roman authorities weren’t always supportive of female gladiatorial combat. In AD 11 and 19, the Roman Senate passed laws specifically prohibiting upper-class and freeborn women under the age of 20 from fighting as gladiators, suggesting that their participation, while occurring, was viewed as socially disruptive.
In 200 AD, Emperor septimius severus banned female gladiatorial contests altogether, likely as part of a broader effort to restore traditional Roman morals. Despite this ban, evidence suggests that gladiatrices continued to fight in the centuries that followed, albeit more discreetly.