June 2013: "The Girls of Spartacus as Half-Naked and Empowered? The Impact of Gender Theory in Modern Sword and Sandal Television Series", The Hawaii International Conference in Social Sciences, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

1. Augmented Realities:
(Ancient) Love and desire in
Spartacus (2010)
Dr. Anna Foka
UCGS UGPS

2. Love and Desire in
Spartacus (2010)
Summary
1. (Gladiatorial) Sword and Sandal
2. Ancient Love and Desire in Popular Culture
3. Masculinity, Femininity and Sexuality?
4. Historical Accuracy in the representation of
emotions Popular Culture
5. Conclusions

3. Sword and Sandal?
Sword and Sandal (Peplum) 1913-70’s
SF Heroic Fantasy: 1980’s
Historical Fantasy: 1990’s
(The third Golden Age? 2000’s)

4. A New Genre?
Gladiator Films
Fabiola (1948)
Sins of Rome (1952)
Warrior and the Slave Girl, The
(1958)
Revolt of the Slaves (1961)
Invincible Gladiator, The (1961)
Revenge of the Gladiators (1961)
Alone Against Rome (1962)
Gladiator of Rome (1962)
Gladiators Seven (1962)
Slave, The (1962)
Ten Gladiators, The (1963)
Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator
Last Gladiator, The (1963)
Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (1964)
Two Gladiators, The (1964)
Revolt of the Seven (1964)
Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators
(1964)
Revenge of Spartacus, The (1965)
Seven Rebel Gladiators (1965)
Seven Slaves Against the World
(1965)
Spartan Gladiator, The (1965)
Triumph of the Ten Gladiators (1965)
Challenge of the Gladiator (1965)

5. A Guide to Gladiatorial
Films
 Muscles
 Heteronormativity
 Hierarchical struggles
 Violence
 Slavery
GLADIATOR (2000)
SPARTACUS?
Kubrik (1960)
Starz (2010)

6. What is Love?
(Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me no more)

7. Muscles and Mascara
Traditional Sword and Sandal
(1948-1980’s)
Primarily Heteronormative
(Muscles and Mascara)
Clothes on
Romance
Suspense
Hierarchies
Violence as homosocial
Modern Historical Fantasy
(1990’s- present)
Some heteronormativity
Ambiguous Sexuality
Nudity
Hardcore
Violence
Vengeance

8. Masculinity, Femininity and
Sexuality?
The sexuality of the Romans has never had good press
in the West ever since the rise of Christianity. In the
popular imagination and culture, it is synonymous with
sexual license and abuse.
Social Hierarchies
Nudity
Homosexuality
Group sex

9. Social Hierarchies

10. Nudity

11. Homosexuality
Gods of the Arena:
Barca and Auctus
Gaia and Lucretia
Blood and Sand:
Barca and Pietros
Vengeance:
Barca and Nasir

12. Group Sex- Private Clubs
Threesome from the
Suburban Baths in
Pompeiidescribed also by
Catullus, Carmen 56
Lucretia, Batiatus and Gaia
Gods of the Arena
Episode 3: Paterfamilias