08-06-2014, 08:15 PM
Gladiator combat was supposed to be a depiction of high martial skill. This was the contrast to the bloody and spectacular executions of beasts and men/women during the rest of the day.
So if "amazons" would enact mythical fights against males it would have been Noxii against Noxii, both condemned to die.
In Gladiator combat, skill and ability was supposed to be shown, and seeing this kind of skill and ability in women would have an even greater novelty effect as it does today, when we see female boxers fighting or even soldiers in combat.
To be able to show this skill and ability the fighters have to have roughly the same chances, so the different Armaturae were designed to allow for a fair fight, even when the gear was vastly different.
But the main reason to not let Gladiatrix fight a Gladiator might exactly have been the chance that the woman could actually be victorious. In a patriarchal society the Romans had this would have been a serious affront against the natural order. To even provide a chance for this to happen would have been unthinkable for any editor or emperor. This is a similar reason why in group fights of Noxii or Naumachiae neither side ever represented a Roman army, as the chance of the Romans actually loosing would have been to great a risk to take. For the same reason there was never a "Roman" Armatura while there were plenty of Armaturae based on Romes enemies.
So if "amazons" would enact mythical fights against males it would have been Noxii against Noxii, both condemned to die.
In Gladiator combat, skill and ability was supposed to be shown, and seeing this kind of skill and ability in women would have an even greater novelty effect as it does today, when we see female boxers fighting or even soldiers in combat.
To be able to show this skill and ability the fighters have to have roughly the same chances, so the different Armaturae were designed to allow for a fair fight, even when the gear was vastly different.
But the main reason to not let Gladiatrix fight a Gladiator might exactly have been the chance that the woman could actually be victorious. In a patriarchal society the Romans had this would have been a serious affront against the natural order. To even provide a chance for this to happen would have been unthinkable for any editor or emperor. This is a similar reason why in group fights of Noxii or Naumachiae neither side ever represented a Roman army, as the chance of the Romans actually loosing would have been to great a risk to take. For the same reason there was never a "Roman" Armatura while there were plenty of Armaturae based on Romes enemies.
Olaf Küppers - Histotainment, Event und Promotion - Germany
