IVORY KNIFE HANDLE, C2-C3 CE. MUSEO NAZIONALE DEL BARGELLO The popular passion for gladiators in the ancient Roman world crossed the boundaries of class. This ivory knife handle, a luxury item, shows a secutor, a gladiator armed with a shield which we see covering most of the body, here decorated with four quadrants each containing a four-petaled flower. He also had a leg greave and an arm protector for his sword arm. The most notable aspect of his armour was a distinctive helmet with many little eyeholes, which was rounded so as not to catch the net of the secutor's standard opponent, the retiarius, armed with a net and trident. This helmet, on the contrary, has a little finial at the top, for decorative purposes. It's a beautiful little object.
For a belated #ReliefWednesday, an ivory knife handle from the #Bargello in #Florence, dating to the C2 or C3 CE. The tiny figure is that of a #secutor or "pursuer", one of the specific roles of a #gladiator. Its survival is well-nigh miraculous. #AncientBluesky 🏺
