A 2,000-year-old Roman knife handle shaped like a gladiator that was discovered in northern England will go on public display for the first time, the charity English Heritage said yesterday.Two divers found the well-preserved object in 1997 in the River Tyne at Corbridge near Hadrian’s Wall, the 73-mile fortification built by the Romans to defend the northern limits of their empire. It was donated to English Heritage this year.The copper alloy handle, part of a folding knife, was probably used as a souvenir, reflecting the celebrity status that gladiators enjoyed as they fought in arenas for the entertainment of the public, English Heritage said.“This beautifully made knife handle is a testament to how pervasive this celebrity culture was, reaching all the way to Hadrian’s Wall at the very edge of the Roman Empire,” archaeologist Frances McIntosh said. Some two millennia later, the fascination has endured, highlighted by the Gladiator film sequel which released yesterday.
