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

By Amy Zoll

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425186105
• ISBN13: 9780425186107
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Entertaining and Fascinating Read

Boy, did I love this book. A little-known piece of history really comes alive. The author vividly recreates the ancient Roman world and takes you on amazing ride through the life of women warriors. Fun and enlightening; I wish my history teachers had been half this interesting.

Accessible history

Fans of Classical history will find this a fast, enjoyable read.The "popularizing" element of a wraparound fictional story to explain the possible events leading up to the Great Dover Street Woman's death is well-realized. The only criticism I can level at the book is the utter lack of illustrations. By the end of the work, I was ready to voluteer to draw the illustrations myself! The author tries to make up for this lack of pictures with lucid and clear explanations, but even with my extensive art history library, I could not find many of the examples mentioned in the text. I most definitely would have enjoyed photos of the grave goods, the site and maybe some conceptual drawings. If the work is re-published, it would be good to wait until the access or copyright is granted to publish pictures from the site.

Great balance of fact and entertainment!

As a professional archaeologist, I am always happy to find books where a factual account based on evidence is also a really entertaining read. This book provides both. While it takes one particular point of view, it does offer alternatives, allowing the reader to make their own choices. The fictionalization provides depth to the story, while the information about Rome, Romans, and gladiators gives the readers the facts to back it up. My only complaint was the lack of illustrations to accompany the text. Archaeology is a stongly visual discipline, making this an inexplicable editorial decision to say the least! Still, a nicely done book I would recommend to anyone interested in archaeology who doesn't want to wade through jargon. Nice job!