Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Alfonso Manas and I’m PhD in Ancient History, member of the research group HUM-865 (Sport and Olympism in the Ancient World) of the University of Granada, and member of the reviews team of The International Journal of the History of Sport. My main research interest are gladiators (my PhD dissertation dealt about that subject, the title being Munera gladiatoria (gladiatorial games): Origin of Mass Spectator Sport). Apart from that, I'm also interested in armed combat sports in antiquity, women’s sports in antiquity and mass spectator sport.

I've published several articles about those themes in some of the world's most prestigious journals of sport history. If you want to have a look to some of my more relevant articles you can find them in the following links:

New evidence of female gladiators

Some Light on the Jumping Event in the Ancient Olympic Games: Suggestions Provided by the Purchena Games of 1569

My work has also been widely echoed in some of the most important media, namely, National Geographic, Fox, NBC, etc.:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120419-female-gladiator-statue-topless-science-ancient-rome/

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/04/18/rare-ancient-statue-depicts-topless-female-gladiator/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47088229/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.T47_Z6uJerk

http://www.livescience.com/19729-female-gladiator-statue-rome.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2131949/The-Gladiatrix-Rare-statue-shows-topless-female-gladiator-standing-triumphant-defeated-foe.html

You can contact me at: alfonsomanas1@hotmail.com

Vinari letari ludere ridere hoc est vivere

Some photographs:

In front of the building in question:

In the Arch of Constantine: