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Queens of Combat

Season 23 Episode 3 | 55m 15s

What if women were hidden among the ranks of Ancient Rome’s fearsome gladiators? A group of experts searches for evidence to prove women once fought in the arena just like men. Combining history, archaeology, and forensic investigation, journey across Europe in a quest for answers. If a female gladiator's existence can be proven definitively, what can we learn about their lives?

Aired: 01/27/26 | Expires: 02/25/26
SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
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Extras
A professor seeks to prove Arthurian legends have roots in actual British history.
Did Cirencester remain the center of a prosperous post-Roman kingdom in the time of King Arthur?
Iron smelting at a temple site may have inspired the legend of King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur.
New dating shows a Roman villa mosaic was laid in the 5th century, reshaping post-Roman Britain.
A Roman military belt bearing a dragon design may hint at the military roots of King Arthur.
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Experts search for evidence that female gladiators once existed in Ancient Rome.
Once thought an athlete, this Roman statuette may depict a female gladiator in combat pose.
A Roman oil lamp shows two female gladiators fighting like men—strong visual proof women fought.
The ban hints at moral panic, and possibly the clearest proof that female gladiators truly existed.
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