A secutor (''pl.'' secutores) was a class of gladiator in

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

. Thought to have originated around 50 AD, the secutor ("follower" or "chaser", from ''sequor'' "I follow, come or go after") was armed similarly to the '' murmillo'' gladiator and like the ''murmillo'', was protected by a heavy shield. A secutor usually carried a short sword, a

gladius ''Gladius'' () is a Latin word properly referring to the type of sword that was used by Ancient Rome, ancient Roman foot soldiers starting from the 3rd century BC and until the 3rd century AD. Linguistically, within Latin, the word also came t ...

, or a

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...

. The secutor was specially trained to fight a retiarius, a type of lightly armoured gladiator armed with a trident and net.

Equipment

The secutor wore a '' subligaculum'' (loincloth) and a '' balteus'' (a wide belt much like that of the retiarius). On his right arm he wore a '' manica'' (a heavy linen or metal wrapping tied with leather thongs). On his left leg he wore an ''ocrea'' (a greave made of boiled leather or metal). He also carried a '' scutum'' (a curved rectangular shield) to protect himself. The very distinctive helmet of the secutor had only two small eye-holes, in order to prevent a retiarius' trident from being thrust through the face, as well as a rounded top, so as not to get caught in a net. The flanges protecting his neck were smooth and shaped like fish fins for this purpose. Because of the weight and lack of space in the helmet, the secutor had to win quickly, lest he fall to exhaustion or faint due to breathing constrictions and heavy armor.

Opponent

The secutor was specially trained to fight a retiarius, a type of lightly armoured gladiator armed with a trident and net. This matchup was particularly popular, as it pitted the secutor's heavy armor against the lightweight retiarius. On account of his heavy armor, a secutor was prone to exhaustion during longer matches, and thus relied on quickly concluding the battle to gain victory. The retiarius was lightly equipped in order to evade the secutor's attacks, attempting to exhaust the secutor. The match-up dramatized an encounter between the "fisherman" (retiarius) and a "fish" (secutor). The retiarius used his net to catch the secutor who was equipped with fish-themed armor bearing scaly patterns and smooth contours.

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville (; 4 April 636) was a Spania, Hispano-Roman scholar, theologian and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville, archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of the 19th-century historian Charles Forbes René de Montal ...

noted an association between the retiarius with Neptune, the god of water, and the secutor with Vulcan, the god of fire. He reasons that this is because fire is a pursuer, and fire and water are always at odds.

Famous secutores

Flamma

A Syrian, he died at the age of 30, after having fought 34 times—winning 21, drawing 9, and needing ''missio'' (to be spared) only four times. Flamma also received the highest reward four times, a ''rudi'' (wooden sparring sword), which came with the opportunity to stop being a gladiator. Each time he refused the offer, and continued his career.

Commodus

Roman Emperor Commodus fought as a secutor, taking to the arena 735 times. His victories were often welcomed by his bested opponents, as bearing scars dealt by the hand of an Emperor were considered a mark of fortitude. Commodus' opponents always surrendered after they were bested. Commodus never killed his gladiatorial adversaries, instead accepting their surrenders. Commodus' time as a gladiator was not well received by the Roman public. According to

Herodian Herodian or Herodianus () of Syria, sometimes referred to as "Herodian of Antioch" (c. 170 – c. 240), was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled ''History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus'' (τῆς με ...

, spectators of Commodus thought it unbecoming of an emperor to take up arms in the amphitheater for sport when he could be campaigning against barbarians among other opponents of Rome. The consensus was that it was below his office to participate as a gladiator. After Commodus' death in 192 AD, the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

imposed '' damnatio memoriae'' upon Commodus. As a result of his damnation, according to

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

, the Roman public no longer referred to Commodus by his name or as Emperor after his death. Instead, he was referred to as 'the gladiator' or 'the charioteer' as a means to demean his name.Dio (Cassius.), and Earnest Cary. Roman History. Harvard University Press, 1961, 74.2.1

References

External links

*James Grout
''Secutor'', part of the Encyclopædia Romana
*

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050925005833/http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/games/a/gladiatorweapon.htm , date=2005-09-25 Gladiator types