This rare Roman terracotta statuette depicts a secutor gladiator who has been wounded by a trident. Dated to the 2nd century AD, it is part of a private collection.
The secutor, a type of gladiator known in Italian as "insecutore" (meaning "pursuer"), typically faced retiarius opponents armed with a trident and net.
After attempting to evade the net, the secutor would press forward and attack, relying on his heavier armour, which protected him almost entirely from the retiarius's trident strikes. Meanwhile, the lighter-armed retiarius used agility to dodge and counterattack.
The scene captured in the exhibit shows the moment when the trident, or more accurately, the retiarius's fuscina, pierces the metal visor of the helmet. The secutor, having dropped his large shield (scutum) with his left hand, tries to remove the trident.
He wears a distinctive, smooth, oval helmet with a visual groove, unlike the standard two-hole helmets, and without a crest, to prevent the retiarius from gripping it with his net. He also holds the gladius, his sword, and wears a balteus- a belt used to secure the subligaculum, a short garment.