Hughes, LisaLodermeier, Erica A.2022-07-262022-07-262022-07-20Lodermeier, E. A. (2022). Disgrace and Agency: Pompeiian Gladiators and Infamia in the Julio-Claudian Period (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/114880Roman gladiators have received no shortage of scholarly and public attention over the last few decades. However, many contradictions remain in our understanding of these individuals. More specifically, the legal term infamia has been central to recent scholarship, yet the focus of these studies does not emphasize the extent to which the concept impacted gladiators. Instead, infamia is generally discussed as a static term that is primarily based on literary evidence as opposed to considering variables like time, location, and the ample material culture from Pompeii, for example. In this study, I question how infamia played out in material culture pertaining to Pompeiian gladiators during the Julio-Claudian period (14-68 CE), a time when the popularity of gladiator spectacles rises. Additionally, Pompeii is an important consideration for this study, not only because of the abundance of material culture (graffiti, epigraphy, and physical representations) pertaining to gladiators, but also because of the local connections to the origins of gladiatorial combat. Additionally, the gendered aspects of infamia require attention since gladiators were subject to infamia partially because of their failure to adhere to Roman society’s gendered expectations for men (viri). Most importantly, graffiti authored by gladiators themselves will be considered as a potential avenue for gladiators to gain agency over their marginalized position in society and as a means of gaining insight into their own subjectivity. I also use other examples of Pompeiian material culture (funerary monuments, advertisements, and physical representations) as supporting evidence to understand the position of gladiators in Pompeiian society and to show how infamia potentially impacted them. Finally, I address the implicit contradictions that arise when studying Pompeiian gladiators. My intention is to provide voices to this group of individuals to gain a deeper understanding of how gladiators themselves may have experienced infamia in their daily lives.University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.PompeiiGladiatorsRoman EmpireInfamiaJulio-Claudian PeriodHistory--Ancientmaster thesis