A rare knife handle in the shape of a gladiator has been discovered at Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England, shining a new light on the celebrity status of the ancient Roman combatants.
The copper alloy knife handle depicts a class of gladiator known as a “secutor,” according to conservation charity English Heritage, which cares for the historic site where the artefact was found.
Secutors (Latin for pursuers) were fully armed and would be matched with a “retiarius,” or “net man,” who would be dressed in only a short tunic or apron and would try to use the net he carried to entangle his pursuer.
The secutor gladiator depicted on the knife handle wears a helmet, holds a big shield and has his left hand out, which would have been holding a sword.
This suggests he was left-handed – a trait considered unlucky in the Roman world, and therefore could mean the figurine shows a specific gladiator, English Heritage said in a media statement Friday.