Female gladiators were greeted by both wonder and scorn. Gladiatrix Ardala was one fighter who showed off her skills at a gathering of prominent Romans in the 2nd century AD. 🎥Epic Warrior Women: Gladiatrix | Smithsonian Channel

Female gladiators were REAL. They fought in the Colosseum. Bare-chested. With swords. Rome banned them twice. They kept fighting anyway. THE PROOF: British Museum, London: A marble relief (1st–2nd century AD) from Turkey shows two armed women—AMAZONIA and ACHILLIA—with swords, shields, and leg armor. No helmets. Faces exposed. The inscription reads “Stantes Missae” — “Standing, they were released.” They fought to a draw. Both survived. Hamburg Museum, Germany: A bronze statuette (1st century AD)

Romans were fascinated by female gladiators, whose power upended social norms. Experience what it might have been like to battle in the Coliseum on the newly available Epic Warrior Women: https://bit.ly/2xijaLZ | Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation