Gladiatrix

the long version

"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 startling 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 Boudica, 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."--BOOK JACKET.