Ancient Rome interpreted Greek mythology by encouraging gladiator women to fight to the death as Amazons in the arena. Explore how these young women managed to survive in desperate conditions, why so many were ready to die for the sake of public entertainment and what skills they needed to stay alive.

Even during the brutality of the Dark Ages, the Vikings of Northern Europe were considered particularly fearsome, ruthless, and dangerous. For centuries, historians believed all Viking warriors were men, but new archaeological discoveries on a small island in central Sweden have revealed evidence that some of the fighters were women. See how modern forensic testing helped identify the sex of one female war chief.