In the British Museum, a marble relief from ancient Rome captures two named female gladiators in full combat. This rare depiction may be the greatest surviving monument to women in the Roman arena.

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. This Roman-era relief depicts two female gladiators fighting each other in Halicarnassus, an ...

A Roman oil lamp shows two female gladiators fighting like men—strong visual proof women fought. An ordinary Roman oil lamp shows two gladiators with unmistakably female features, fighting in the same ...

The Roman Empire is famous for its arenas like the Colosseum where gladiators fought each other in gory skirmishes. But were any of these gladiators ever women? Several lines of evidence, including ...