Gladiatrix - the True Story of History's Unknown Warror Woman by Amy Zoll

"Roman London, first century AD. An unusual burial is underway. Mourners take part in an elaborate and exotic ritual befitting a gladiator who died triumphantly.

London, twenty first century AD. The world learns that the ancient burial ground of a gladiator is unearthed – a remarkable discover made even more astonishing by the evidence that the fallen warrior was a woman…

The truth behind the spectacle…The story that stunned the world…

These may be the only remains of a gladiator ever found. The evidence that they were female not only made history, but changed it, giving a new understanding of the role of women in Roman society. Was it really possible for a woman to have embraced masculine virtues and acquired masculine skills – and to have been encouraged to revel in the blood and death spectacle of gladiatorial combat?

Gladiatrix enters this starting new world for the first time. It also unearths the inspirations for these warrior women of Rome – the legend of the Amazons and the true story of Boudicca, the Warrior Queen who almost brought the Roman Empire to its knees. And it re-creates the startling life of a female outcast who lived and died like no other, to become history’s most remarkable sister-in-arms."

The only, and therefore definitive factual work on the Gladiatrix. It is an accompaniment to the Discovery Channel's documentary of the same name. The full length television programme, narrated by Lucy Lawless, can be downloaded from this website in the multimedia section.

The focal point of the book is the famous "Dover Street Woman," who is preported to have been a Gladiatrix. Zoll examines pro and counter arguments to this claim, and comes to the conclusion that in all probability, Great Dover Street Woman was indeed a Gladiatrix.

The book, however, goes much further than simply covering the findings in London. Zoll presents us with a scholarly, comprehensive work, looking at the life of a Gladiatrix, her training, the styles of fighting, the environment in which she would have lived. Also covered are some of history's notable warrior women, the Amazons.

Zoll's book is a treasure trove of information, presented in a concise, entertaining manner. Interestingly, she has a small novella running along side the factual work, imagining the events that lead up to the demise Great Dover Street woman. This only adds to the book, and the narrative is extremely well handled, depicting gladiatrices battling against one another in provincial London. Gladiatrix is simply a must have book for anyone interested in history's female warriors. It is available from www.amazon.co.uk in the UK, www.amazon.com in the US, and www.amazon.de in Germany.