As a student (albeit unqualified) of ancient Rome and an avid reader of Ben Cane, Conn Iggulden and other great historical fiction novelists, I was intrigued to learn there were gladiatrices, or female gladiators, in Rome. And there’s evidence to suggest they were honored as highly as their male counterparts.
Women of all classes participated in spectacles hosted by emperors Nero, Titus and Domitian, and history suggests many gladiatrices were ‘high born’ women of means. Affluent women could afford the training and had leisure time to work out. Professional gladiator troupe managers encouraged these women, offering money and glamour. Popular gladiators were revered as sex symbols and feted by Roman citizens, and no doubt it was the same for gladiatrices.
Not only did gladiatrices fight each other, they also fought wild animals, and sometimes even dwarfs for entertainment in public games.
Roman historians described women fighting each other at after-dinner acts in Rome and especially in the thriving city of Pompeii. Apparently, it wasn’t without controversy, and the participation of gladiatrices was often criticized by Romans of the day. Even so, it wasn’t until 200 A.D. that all female gladiatorial combat was banned.
Upon learning this, I was inspired to write a short story titled A Gladiator’s Love. In this action-romance tale, dashing Greek gladiator Leonidas promises his true love he’ll buy her freedom if he wins his own in the Colosseum. His beloved is Fatuma, an Ethiopian beauty who is a gladiatrice.
-Lance Morcan (Author)
A Gladiator’s Love is available via Amazon as a Kindle ebook… https://lnkd.in/gjcb_x3g
It’s also one of five short stories in my paperback titled 5 Short Story Gems.
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Morcan Books & Films 