A 1,800-year-old Roman mosaic fragment featuring a topless leopard fighter has confirmed that female gladiators battled animals in the arena in ancient Rome, challenging popular perceptions of gender roles. The artwork was originally uncovered in 1860 in Reims, France and depicted elaborate scenes from the arena, including gladiator fights and staged hunts. The researcher, Alfonso Mañas, of the University of California, Berkeley, found that the combatant was a female arena fighter (and performer), a type of female performer who battled beasts instead of people in the amphitheater. The mosaic was destroyed by World War I and now only exists in 19th-century drawings by archaeologist Jean-Charles Loriquet. Alongside proving the existence of female arena fighters, the mosaic also indicates that the practice went on longer than previously thought.