Gladiatrix

The moment of truth had arrived. In an arena in the Asia Minor city of Halicarnassus, a pair of gladiators locked in a fight to the death reeled across the sand, exhausted from parrying and charging, stabbing and feinting. Finally, unable to get the better of each other, the combatants slid off their polished bronze helmets and gazed defiantly toward the stands. In a box reserved for dignitaries, the wealthy sponsor of the games watched the spectators rise as one and demand mercy for the two women who stood before them, battered, bloodied, and bone weary, but still undaunted. Standing, the sponsor announced his decision: The lives of both women would be spared, at least until their next match. The event was subsequently memorialized by a sculptor who carved a handsome stone relief of the female gladiators, recording their names, Achillia and Amazon, and noting their rare reprieve. Exhibited today ...