→Students dig up old stone wall in Spain — and confirm decades-old theory “Gladiators had sex appeal and there are cases of high-status Roman women falling ‘in love’ with these lowly ...

Not much information exists about Roman women in the first century ... from ladies’ maids to farm workers, and even gladiators. Wealthy widows, subject to no man’s authority, were independent.

Rich women would pay to have the sweat ... Which, let’s face it, is a bit weird. As the Roman Empire adopted Christianity, the popularity of gladiators decreased. You can’t really “love ...

Roman historian Suetonius records that the emperor Domitian made female gladiators fight at night and by torchlight, while poet Juvenal describes women who decide to fight in unflattering terms.

Successful gladiators were the movie stars of the first ... gladiatorial contests are often seen as the dark side of Roman civilization. Given they belonged to such a civilized and sophisticated ...