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 ...

Secutor gladiators were a highly trained subset of gladiators trained in close-quarters combat. The figurine is left handed, particularly notable in gladiatorial tradition because left-handed ...

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.

It's rare to find gladiator memorabilia from Roman Britain, but archaeologists by Hadrian's Wall have just found a 2,000-year-old knife handle depicting a left-handed fighter.

Photo: English Heritage. The gladiator carved on the knife handle is a secutor, Latin for “chaser,” a class of fighter that carried a heavy shield and a short sword.

The discovery of a 2,000-year-old knife handle in England featuring a gladiator suggests the enslaved fighters' celebrity appeal extended to Roman Britain, experts say.

Researchers recently discovered its decoration depicted a real battle between two gladiators in Colchester - Memnon, a secutor, and his retiarius opponent, Valentinus.

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.

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.