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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Mark Brown North of England correspondent

Gladiator knife handle found in Tyne ‘reflects spread of Roman celebrity culture’

Frances McIntosh supports a small sculpture of a gladiator between her gloved fingers on a bench
Frances McIntosh, English Heritage’s collections curator for Hadrian’s Wall, admires the knife handle. Photograph: Picture Phil Wilkinson/Phil Wilkinson/English Heritage

A rare and pristine example of gladiator memorabilia found in the River Tyne is to go on display, shining light on a 2,000-year-old culture of celebrity and sex appeal.

English Heritage said the copper alloy figurine would have been a decorative handle on a folding knife. Found near Corbridge, Northumberland, it provides proof that the superstar status of gladiators extended to the far edges of the Roman empire.

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