One rare gladiator-shaped knife handle was discovered on Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, shedding new light on the celebrity status of ancient Roman fighters.
The copper alloy knife handle depicts a class of gladiator known as a “secutor,” according to conservation charity English Heritage, which looks after the historic site where the artifact was found. “Secutors” (from the Latin, pursuers) were fully armed and fought against a “retiarius” (or net man), who wore only a short tunic or apron and tried to use his net to trap his pursuer.
The secutor gladiator depicted on the knife handle wears a helmet, holds a large shield and has his left hand outstretched, which was probably once holding a sword. This suggests he was left-handed – a trait considered bad luck in the Roman world, and therefore could mean the figure is a portrait of a specific gladiator, English Heritage said in a press release on Friday. .
Despite being largely enslaved and criminal, successful gladiators enjoyed celebrity status. “[Os gladiadores] they had individual fans who followed them and gave them gifts,” said Frances McIntosh, curator of Hadrian’s Wall and North East collections at English Heritage, in a video about the discovery. “So, it could be that this person [o dono da faca] really liked this gladiator and had the handle of his knife made specifically to represent him.”
Some gladiators learned to fight with their left hand to try to gain an advantage over their opponents, according to English Heritage. The 2,000-year-old knife handle was found in the River Tyne in the Roman town of Corbridge, in Hadrian’s Wall, a defensive barrier built by the occupying Romans in northeast England. The city had a bustling, vibrant community and was a supply base where Romans obtained food and provisions, according to the organization’s website.
“It is rare to find a gladiator piece in Britain and finding such a well-preserved and interesting piece is particularly remarkable,” McIntosh said in the statement.
“This beautifully crafted knife handle is a testament to how widespread this celebrity culture was, reaching as far as Hadrian’s Wall at the edge of the Roman Empire,” he added.
Strong and muscular, gladiators had sexual appeal and also received gifts from women, according to McIntosh. She said that sometimes even high-status women defied class difference and “ran away with gladiators or fell in love with gladiators.”
“Even now, nearly two thousand years later, the fascination surrounding gladiators persists and has expanded further into modern popular culture, as evidenced by the excitement surrounding the new Gladiator sequel film,” said McIntosh.
“Gladiator 2”, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 blockbuster, arrived in Brazilian cinemas this week.
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This content was originally published in Rare gladiator-shaped knife handle gives details about Roman “celebrities” on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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