A rare Roman knife handle, moulded in the shape of a secutor gladiator, was found in the River Tyne at Corbridge Roman Town near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, England. Approximately 2,000-years-old, the carved copper figure is roughly three inches tall, and was found by a diver three decades ago, and had remained in his private collection – until now. He has agreed to loan the knife handle to English Heritage, so it can be put on display in conjunction with the release of the blockbuster movie Gladiator II. The most telling thing about the dagger and its remarkable handle is that is shows how the celebrity status of gladiators reached every corner of the sprawling Roman Empire. This particular type of gladiator would have been seen as a celebrity in ancient times, explaining why such an image would have been engraved on a physical object. Barbarians versus Romans: Violence and Urban Life in Late Antiquity The Mind-Blowing Architecture and Engineering of Rome’s Colosseum Gladiators and their Celebrity Status: Entertaining the Masses This artifact represents an unusual find on English soil. Read moreSection: NewsHistory & ArchaeologyAncient PlacesEuropeRead Later