Female beast hunters battled leopards in ancient Rome
Mosaic depictions of a weapon-wielding female gladiator are the first physical evidence showing women in ancient Rome could be skilled beast hunters
A section of the mosaic from Reims, France, showing a leopard and the figure believed to be a female beast-hunter.
Alfonso Manas, The International Journal for the History of Sport, CC by 4.0
In the summer of C.E. 80, Roman emperor Titus inaugurated the Flavian Amphitheater, also known as the Colosseum, with a series of games. Historical records suggest that during one event, women clad as the goddess Diana used spears to combat fierce boars in the arena. The existence of these venatrices, or female beast hunters, has been a topic of debate. A recent study now provides the first physical evidence affirming their presence.
Although female convicts were often thrown to leopards or other beasts, and there are accounts of female gladiators battling humans, only a few texts mention venatrices. It is said that Nero had women in chariots armed with bows and arrows in C.E. 59, and later emperors reportedly had them battling leopards and bears, either topless or dressed as renowned goddesses. However, it remained uncertain whether these women were mere spectacles or actual skilled fighters.
The study examines a third-century mosaic from Reims, France, rediscovered in 1860 by Jean Charles Loriquet but largely destroyed in 1917 during World War I. Only one panel and Loriquet’s sketches survive. One lost panel depicted a topless figure with a whip and possibly a dagger or cloth.
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Loriquet’s notes used gender-neutral terms and did not mention the figure’s toplessness, a key feature setting it apart from the other whip-wielding, bearded figures in the mosaic.
Upon viewing the drawings, Alfonso Manas, a sports historian at the University of California, Berkeley, who authored the new study, immediately identified the figure as female.
A drawing of the mosaic from Reims, found in 1860 and destroyed in 1917 during WWI.
Alfonso Manas, The International Journal for the History of Sport, CC by 4.0
Manas claims the figure aligns with historical descriptions of female beast hunters, equipped with the appropriate weapons, suggesting she was a whip-wielding venatrix driving a leopard toward a male colleague—a venator—during a hunting game. The artist’s choice to depict her topless was intentional to highlight her gender, marking the first known visual of a woman battling beasts in the Roman arena.
Michael Carter, a historian at Brock University in Ontario, not involved in the research, praises the study as excellent detective work. He notes that the female figure was not a victim in the arena but honored as a skilled fighter. Manas adds that the inclusion of such a woman in the mosaic signifies the high regard spectators held for these female fighters.
The discovery also indicates that female beast hunters remained popular in the arena longer than female gladiators who fought humans. According to Manas, audiences continued to appreciate their performances.
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