Gladiatrix

by Richard Ong

Female gladiators did exist. “Gladiatrix” was a term given to female gladiators of the ancient Roman Empire by 19th-century scholars. Many of these women were prisoners forced to do battle in the arena for entertainment. Others were Roman women who came from a wealthy family and voluntarily became a gladiator either in search of fame and adventure or to earn money in order to pay off a debt. In this painting, a Pict warrior has been captured in Roman Britain and forced to fight for her life in the arena of Londinium.