Women Warriors, Gladiators and Fighters in History

These days we don't give much thought to women competitors. Perhaps it's because many cultures throughout the world accept that women are capable of doing more than simply raising children and maintaining a household. However, in ancient times, occasionally women would also assert themselves as equals to men in battle or competitive games.

In ancient Roman times, there were women gladiators. Although they weren't as popular or numerous as their male counterparts, there is evidence that women did in fact fight in the arena. In 1996, an archaeological excavation in London, England, recovered remains of a young woman who was buried with several personal items that could link her to the gladiatorial games. There were several plates and oil lamps depicting women gladiators, so archaeologists have surmised that the dead woman was likely a popular fighter herself and was given the honor of being buried with symbols of her status.

When we think about a Japanese samurai warrior, we imagine a tough, fearless man bedecked in decorative armor with his wonderful sword hanging from his waist, but what we don't think about is a woman trained to fight. Women married to samurai warriors had the job of looking after their homes and children, which included managing the finances and the household staff. They were also responsible for fighting, when necessary, to protect their homes during an invasion or war. Unlike many other cultures, the wife of a samurai could inherit property, but as time went by, women began to lose their status and privileges. Then eventually, sometime around the 17th century, they were no longer allowed to inherit property, but they were still supposed to defend their homes.

Women were not considered as important members of the household any more, other than necessary for having and raising children. In current times, women are again becoming skilled practitioners in the martial arts and compete with skill. Then we've all heard of the legend of the Amazon women warriors.

In Greek mythology, Amazons were women who lived in a land known as Pontus, which is about the location of modern day Turkey. As with most legends, it's possible that the Amazons were based on actual people, but without solid evidence, we may never know. In the Greek tale, the Iliad, Amazons are called Antianeira. It's hard to know what is mythology and what is fact. But one thing is certain, throughout history, women were indeed known to have fought during wars and in competitive games. While they perhaps were not equal to men, they at least were acknowledged as more than property or possessions of men.