1. I am studying the under-represented history of female gladiators in Rome because I want to find out who these women were and how they navigated the societal expectations of their time, in order to understand how gender roles functioned and were challenged in ancient Roman Society. 
2. White the presence of female gladiators in ancient Roman society remains under-acknowledged, their participation in a male-dominated arena offers a unique historical lens through which to analyze hte potential for dismantling harmful ender stereotypes and promoting social progress, both in the past and present. 
3. Beck, Melinda. “Did Women Fight as Gladiators in Ancient Rome?” History, History, 22 Mar. 2022, www.history.com/news/women-gladiators-ancient-rome. 

Stilo, Aelius. “Female Gladiators.” Encyclopedia Romana, penelope.uchicago.edu, penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/amazones.html. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024. 

Milligan, Mark. “The Gladiatrix – the Roman Gladiators That Were Women.” HeritageDaily, HeritageDaily, 1 Sept. 2021, www.heritagedaily.com/2021/07/the-gladiatrix-the-roman-gladiators-that-were-women/139803. 

McElduff, Siobhán. “Female Gladiators and Venatores.” Spectacles in the Roman World, BCcampus, 3 Sept. 2020, pressbooks.bccampus.ca/spectaclesintheromanworldsourcebook/chapter/female-gladiators-and-venatores/. 

Davidson, Lucy. “Warrior Women: Who Were the Gladiatrices of Ancient Rome?” History Hit, History Hit, 6 Apr. 2023, www.historyhit.com/who-were-gladiatrices-in-ancient-rome/. 

Milligan, Mark. “The Gladiatrix – the Roman Gladiators That Were Women.” HeritageDaily, HeritageDaily, 1 Sept. 2021, www.heritagedaily.com/2021/07/the-gladiatrix-the-roman-gladiators-that-were-women/139803#:~:text=The%20Gladiatrix%20were%20the%20female,or%20historical%20evidence%20is%20limited. 

“Female Gladiators: Gender, Law, and Contact Sport in America on JSTOR.” Sport and Society, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/j.ctt1xcnqq. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024. 

4. The sources that I found were History Channel: Did Women Fight as Gladiators in Ancient Rome?; Enyclopedia Romana: Female Gladiators; Heritage Daily: The Gladiatrix – The Roman Glaidaotrs that were Women; BCcampus Open Education: Female Glaidators and Venatores; History Hit: Warrior Women: Who were the Gladiatrices of Ancient Rome? I used a variety of sources, including academic articles, online encyclopedias, and historical websites. It’s important to critically evaluate the sources, consider their credibility, bias, and purpose. The new knowledge that I learned was that female gladiators were not just a myth, but a real part of Roman society and I understand the challenge sof studying an under-represented historical group due to limited information. 

What I learned was that female gladiators existed (Although rare, there’s historical evidence of women participating in gladiatorial combat), their participation was controversial (Roman society held conflicting views on female gladiators, with some finding it acceptable and others disapproving), and limited information exists (details about training, social standing, and motivations remain scarce). The directions I could take with my project are that I could focus on the societal impact of female gladiators, analyzing how their presence challenged gender norms or another direction could be exploring the lives of specific female gladiators through historical accounts and artistic depictitions. 

New and remaining questions are what motivated women to become gladiators? How did their experiences compare to those of male gladiators? What were the long-term societal effects of female gladiatorial combat?