Perpetua and Felicitas lived in Carthage in North Africa. Both women were martyred in Carthage in 203 AD. Perpetua’s diary was preserved by Tertullian and became famous for recording her imprisonment, torture and martyrs’ death. It is one of the earliest surviving texts from a Christian woman documenting martyrdom. Her wealth and high standing in society gave her chance to record her last days up to her high calling heavenward. Perpetua was joined by her slave and co-martyr, Felicia.
Perpetua’s father begged her to recant her faith in order not to endure a senseless death. He tore out some of his beard in anguish, if only she would forsake the name “Christian”. She replied, “See this vase. Could it be called by any other name than what it is?”
“No.”
Neither can I be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.” [Shakespeare took this well-known statement of Perpetua’s, and turned it into . . . “A rose by any other name . . . ”]
Perpetua and Felicia deaths were timed to the day in order to celebrate the Emperor Septimius Severus’s birthday. Felicia had given her new born child to her sister as she and Perpetua went joyfully to face the beasts: leopards, bears, along with a wild boar . They were tied to a raised bridge in the arena so the spectators could see them savaged and eaten by wild animals. They were both gored by a wild bull and attacked and bitten by numerous animals. Perpetua wanted her hair put up so it didn’t look like she was in mourning. At first they were stripped but seeing married women who had recently given birth offended Roman etiquette and they were forced to put robes on.
Finally gladiators ended their lives with swords. Perpetua helped Felicia to stand with dignity for the final blows. Perpetua’s gladiator was a novice whose final thrust brought pain but not death. So she turned her neck to him to assist the final death blow.
Source: The New Book of Christian Martyrs (The Heroes of Our Faith from the 1st Century to the 21st Century), Johnnie Moore & Jerry Pattengale, Pp 73 – 75.