Raw Cut Delves into History of Female Gladiators in New Doc

Raw Cut has lined up the new documentary Queens of Combat, delving into the hidden story of female gladiators.

Set to air in the U.K. and the U.S. later this year, the documentary pieces together groundbreaking evidence of female gladiators that has been hiding in plain sight, from a tiny statue in Germany to an ancient lamp in Australia to a mysterious tablet hidden deep in an Italian monastery.

Queens of Combat is being directed by Tomos TV’s Susannah Ward and executive produced by Raw Cut’s Steve Warr.

In the U.S., the documentary will air on PBS as part of the Secrets of the Dead series. It will air on SBS in Australia.

“Searching for evidence of female gladiators has underlined for me how often women’s history is overlooked or erased,” Ward said. “Researching and filming Queens of Combat has been a big challenge for our team because women leave so few traces behind—even those as brave and formidable as the female gladiators who held their own in the arena.”