Gladiatrix: The True Story of History's Unknown Woman Warrior

by Amy Zoll

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SPECTACLE… THE STORY THAT STUNNED THE WORLD.   These may be the only remains of a gladiator ever found. The evidence that they were female not only made history but changed it, giving a new understanding of the role of women in Roman society. Was it really possible for a woman to have embraced masculine virtues and acquired masculine skills—and to have been encouraged to revel in the blood-and-death spectacle of gladiatorial combat?   Gladiatrix  enters this startling new world for the first time. It also unearths the inspirations for these warrior women of Rome—the legend of the Amazons and the true story of Boudica, the Warrior Queen who almost brought the Roman Empire to its knees. And it recreates the startling life of a female outcast who lived and died like no other, to became history’s most remarkable sister-in-arms.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2002

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like this. I really did. I'm sure I saw the Discovery Channel special that this book ties into. I liked that.

Sadly, I don't like the book all that much. The major problem for me is the little italized story inbetween chapters. It's a story and not a good one. It doesn't belong in a non-fiction book. It really doesn't, and would a romanized Celt use the term wanna-be? Really?. The style also tends to the dry. The book also could have used pictures. If you are talking about a relief, it helps to show it.

What Zoll does well is present a wealth of easy to read, if dry, detail about gladiators and women in ancient Rome. It's more about those figures than the title unknown woman. This is good because it saves the book from a one star rating.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history read

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was the find of a possible female Roman burial in London, which contained a lamp with a gladiator's image on it, the grave of a female gladiator? The book doesn't answer the question definitively, but it does provide a lot of interesting information about Roman Britain.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting speculative history of what the life of a female gladiator might have been like in Roman London. The fictionalized story didn't do much for me but I found the history pretty fascinating. I definitely want to know more. Worth checking out.

[Anson]

sensationalized -- but vivid -- account of women warriors in ancient Rome and Britain

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was an interesting book, but wandered a bit - I was more interested in Britain during the period, but was a good study of women in the 'Games' of the time.

[Brenda Barner · Rating 4 out of 5]

History mixed in with a possible story about the Gladiatrix bones found outside of London. Very interesting for those with an interest in Gladiator history or mythology.