This shows the bronze statuette of a female figure in the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbein

Not only men fought in Roman antiquity, but also the women and even with the same weapons! At least this is what the bronze statuette of a female figure shows, located at Museum of Art and Industry, in Hamburg and now under new study is now considered, that she was a female gladiator.

With long groomed hair and wearing only a loincloth, that is, bare-breasted, this woman is represented with one hand raised holding the gladiators' small curved sword _sicca_ and seems to be celebrating a victory. Her head turns to the ground _looking perhaps at the defeated opponent; _ while her knee is bandaged again, as gladiators used to do. So until today the small statue was considered to depict an athlete. In particular, the sword was interpreted as a string (the instrument of athletes for scraping from their bodies, of the powder and oil with which they anointed the skin). The different view comes from researcher Alfonso Manas of the University of Granada, which lists the data:

First of all, this is only the second depiction of a female gladiator, which is known to us. The other one, which is in the British Museum comes from a relief of Halicarnassus. And this rarity, as Manas says perhaps also indicates the rarity of the phenomenon. As far as the written sources are concerned, only twelve records exist, referring to female gladiators. All of them were of low social class, i.e. slaves, therefore their breasts remained uncovered, contrary to, what was going on with the gymnasts. One more thing is, that about 200 μ. X. under Septimius Severus, their presence in the arenas was banned.

There is, however, a problem _as far as this particular statuette is concerned_ with the fact, that female gladiators must also have worn various protective gear on their bodies, depending on the men. That is, helmets, chest or shoulder fittings etc. But the gladiator of Hamburg, it doesn't bring anything, not even her helmet and this causes the researchers to be surprised. Another parameter besides, which they themselves raise regarding her nudity is the attempt to arouse eroticism in the militarily raised Romans, who would thus have the opportunity to see women in traditionally male roles. However, the sources do not mention anything of the sort, rather than just the expression of admiration for the "fair competition" of women as well.