Drawing of a gladiator

((:gladiator ad dext., secutor))


Description of Drawing (English) gladiator facing right, secutor
Findspot Smyrna, Basilica (Agora.1)
Drawing Category Gladiators
Writing Style charcoal
Bibliography Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 261.
Commentary Dipinto, largely faded, located on the eastern face of Pier A37, looking into the doorway, Bay 26. It is composed of thin black lines with a few highlights in red. The image depicts a male figure, a gladiator, in profile and advancing toward the right. The upper part of the body is better preserved, whereas most of the detailing of the legs has vanished. The man wears a helmet with long neck-guard and a balteus. The way his bust is depicted seems to suggest the presence of a long coat of scale armor, an element distinctive of images of secutores in later representations from the Eastern empire.
Suggested Citation AGP-SMYD00261, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <https://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYD00261> [accessed: 02 Apr 2025]
Contributions

Editor: Roger S. Bagnall

Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall

Last Revision: 2016-10-03