Gladiatrices

The only depiction of gladiatrices which we have is a relief from Halicarnassos (today's Bodrum in Turkey) which dates from approx. the 2nd century AD. Two women in the equipment of provocatrices are seen who have the arena names "Amazon" and "Achillia". The helmets lie on the floor next to the both combatants, because they are depicted at the end of the fight where they both received the missio (dismission). That gladiators were dismissed standing (stantes missio) which counted as a draw because they fought so well was very rare. Therefore it nearly counted more than a victory.

The Harvard scholar Kathleen Coleman assumes that this relief stood at the ludus of the two gladiatrices to honor their extraordinary achievement. If this relief was part of a whole in which a whole munus was remembered is not known since no further fragments have been found.

In 1996 the grave of a woman was discovered which was at the outskirts of the cemetery which is a sign that she was an outcast from society. Nonetheless she had received a lavish funeral with a pyre which was errected above a pit. Eight oil lamps had been put into the pit after the pyre burned down. One lamp shows a defeated gladiator, three others the Egyptian death good Anubis who was equated with the Roman Mercurius. Further there had been found eight tazze (incense burners) in which were burned pine cones.

The scholar of the Museum of London assume according to these finds that the woman is a gladiatrix since some artefacts refer to a gladiatorial context, e.g. the lamp with the picture of Anubis because Mercurius was the attendant of the fallen gladiators, as well as a lamp with the picture of a defeated gladiator. Also the pine has a strong connection to the amphitheater because in front of the amphitheater of London these trees were planted to cover the stench of blood. Also gladiators lived on the edge of society, but might have left enough money behind so that friends, family or comrades could give them a worthy funeral.