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Plutarch also mentions that Spartan boys learned how to march barefoot and go naked during their training. Plutarch mentions that at the age of twelve their undergarment would be taken away and only one upper garment given them each year. This garment was a red cloak, which they would wear as Spartan soldiers once their training was complete, along with whatever armor was issued to them. The cloak itself, however, was not worn during battle, as it would be a hindrance to movement. Sometimes criminals were made to face off with a gladiator. These events showed desperate men, sometimes armed and sometimes unarmed, who had no choice but to either confront the fully armed gladiator or run around inside the arena until they were captured by the blade. It would be erroneous to blame all of the brutal executions that took place in the Colosseum on the ancient Romans. While arguments can be made that the Pagan executions were beyond brutal, the same can be said of the executions that occurred after Rome had been Christianized. The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.
Crucifixion is perhaps the most well known form of Roman execution. When it came to the arena and the exhibition of death, bringing about the end of a criminal or slave had to excite the crowd, and crucifixion could deliver the wow of mortal suffering to the viewers. It is worth noting that it wasn’t until 390 AD that homosexuality became outlawed, thanks to Christian emperors. But prior to this time period, the term “homosexual” didn’t exist.The women also didn't fight to earn money, as they were already very rich. Thus, it has been argued that they were looking for attention, excitement, and notoriety. All they needed to achieve these goals was to receive special permission from a person who arranged the fights. Accounts of Gladiatrix in Historical Resources Were some of these men bisexual? Possibly. Were they gay? Perhaps. But in the final analysis, it really doesn’t matter. What is important is that 2000 years ago, same-sex relations were normal. However, on rare, extravagant occasions, a large group of people, usually prisoners of war, were scheduled to die in the arena. During these great events, the head of the event, usually the emperor, would plan out immense battle reenactments that required anywhere from hundreds to even thousands of victims. The sentence of ad gladium was death by the sword. Now this could mean just about anything, as long as the prisoner was killed with a sword. Female gladiators probably appeared for the first time during the reign of Emperor Nero. The Roman historian, Cassius Dio, described the festival of gladiator fights, which was held as a tribute to Nero's mother:
In other accounts of wild cats used in executions, the victim was tied to a post that had been set up in the arena for such events. The cat would be let loose and the victim shredded to the cheers of the crowd. Because so many of these men were imprisoned by their masters, their ability to engage in sexual relations with women was limited (at best). Photo Credit: Bromans In 2001, in Southwark, London, a female Roman skeleton was unearthed and identified as a female gladiator. She was buried as an outcast outside the main cemetery with several items related to the world of gladiators. The tomb included such things as pottery lamps of Anubis, a lamp with a depiction of a fallen gladiator engraved on it, and bowls containing burnt pine cones from a Stone Pine which were planted around the London amphitheater. Some researchers still are uncertain if this woman was a Gladiatrix or the wife of gladiator. The use of female gladiators was closely associated with decadence and luxury. Written records, such as those of Cassius Dio, Petronius, and Juvenal, show that it's very likely that female fights were very lavish because of the infrequency of female gladiators. Gladiator women were also used as sexual objects for the Roman elite. Gladatrix were thus representative of indulgence on the part of the wealthy elite. Fighting women were an important part of noble private parties and they were sometimes invited into private homes to entertain the guests. Because their lives could end at any moment, it is believed that many took on male lovers to give their realities meaning. This is not to say these men were “gay”.
A Symbol of Roman Vanity
In the ancient Roman mind, it was not enough to simply read the myths of Greece or act them out on the stage. Instead, the Romans chose to have the myths reenacted in the flesh and blow for blow. Romantic relationships were also part of the mix. In these situations, they were almost always consensual. You have to remember that these men were kept in close quarters, unable to leave the crude, dark cells they were kept in. When a female gladiator defeated her opponent, she would remove her helmet so that the spectators who crowded the Colosseum or the battle arena could see for themselves what the victor’s face would look like.
The executions of prisoners of war, criminals, and slaves took place between the morning beast hunts and the afternoon gladiator events. There were, under normal circumstances, just a small group of people to be executed. These small groups of convicts would die together, alone, or in pairs. On July 2, 2010, in Credenhill, Herefordshire, England, archeologists uncovered other remains which might be from a female gladiator. The burial contained the wooden chest secured with three iron bands and many iron nails. The pelvis and the head, belonged to a very common woman. However, the leg and arm bones were found to be unusually heavy and suggested that she had strong muscles.
Accounts of Gladiatrix in Historical Resources
Female gladiators (gladiatrix) were just a thing of legend for many years. However, decades of research have made it possible to finally confirm their existence and importance in the Ancient Roman culture of gladiator fights. What we do know is that the purpose of sexus coetus [also known as a group bang] the goal was to help the trainee learn how to cope with pain. In early Rome, beheadings were rather common, but when it came to presenting bloodshed during the games at the arena, the people demanded brutal deaths that included suffering and lots of bloodshed. One method of execution that was favored by the audience was to simply allow the criminal to run around the arena. The wild cat or cats were set free to chase after the victim until he was caught and sufficiently mauled and battered.
After the criminal had been flung about and gored by the animal’s horns, he or she (women were not excluded from this form of execution) was then taken out of the netting. The throat was then sliced to further ensure total death. Septimius Severus also accepted female gladiators until around 200 AD, when he banned the female fights to reduce arguments in the arenas. The main goal was to stop making the gladiator fights into shows which, according to the emperor, promoted lower class behavior amongst noble women. This point of view was also present in the Emperor Honorius, who finally decreed the end of gladiators altogether in 399 AD. The last known competition between gladiators took place in Rome on January 1, 202 AD. When criminals were to be executed by wild beasts, a sentence called ad bestias, and it could be performed in a number of ways.As their clothes burned, the victims were forced to dance for the Roman public as the pain of fire burned away their flesh. Their shrieks of pain would have been horrifying to us, but to the ancient Romans, the death cries were not only entertainment, but the auditory proof of a well deserved death. Hoplites usually wore greaves, vambraces, and a chest-plate. They would also carry a shield and spear, with some carrying a short sword as a secondary weapon. I have read accounts that the Spartans would occasionally cast aside their clothing and fight naked if they wanted to show total scorn to an enemy that they did not fear. Maybe there is something to that, but I have yet to see anything conclusive from primary sources that indicates this ever happened. On the other hand, while art is usually just art, sometimes it is a window on the society. Some ancient pottery art I have seen depicting the Spartans, while showing them with shields, helmets, and spears, shows them with nothing else on except a garment that covers about as much as the loincloths in 300, though of a different design. Being trampled by elephants was considered to be an undignified death among the Romans and a well deserved form of execution for the traitors of Rome. 6. The Fire Dance As for one of the events involving Lucian the ass and a condemned woman, a wild panther was set loose after the deed was done and put a final end to the bound woman. 2. Killed by Wild Cats But did you know that gladiators are not only followed by men, but also by women called Gladiatrix? Female Gladiators Fighting While Shirtless
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