The secutor

The secutor was a heavily armoured Roman gladiator. The name means chaser or persuer. The character emerged from a murmillo around 50 AD.

Most often his opponent was the lightly armed retiarius: no helmet, little armour. Just a net, a trident and a dagger. The helmet was built against all three. Small round eye holes, too narrow for a trident's prongs to enter. A smooth, rounded shell, nothing for a net to snag. He was dressed as a fish and his opponent was the fisherman.

Found at Pompeii, the helmet survived in a theatre courtyard turned into gladiators' barracks.

Flamma, a Syrian, was a famous Roman secutor. He died at the age of 30, after having fought 34 times. He won 21 times, drew 9, and needed missio (to be spared) 4 times. Flamma's gravestone was discovered in Rome. It was erected by a fellow gladiator named Secundus. The inscription translates to: "Flamma, secutor, lived 30 years, fought 34 times, won 21 times, drew 9 times, reprieved 4 times, a Syrian by nationality. Secundus made this for his well-deserving comrade-in-arms."

Pyrrhic Victory

Taras or Tarentum, in Calabria, is modern Taranto in southern Italy. When the Romans broke a treaty with Taras in 282 B.C. to subdue an adjacent Greek city, Taras expelled the Roman garrison from the captured township. The Romans sought revenge.

Bust of Pyrrhos

Taras appealed for help to King Pyrrhos of Epirus in northwestern Greece. Pyrrhos embarked upon the Pyrrhic War of 280-275 B.C.E. A skilled commander, with a strong army fortified by war elephants, Pyrrhus had initial success against the Roman legions, but suffered heavy losses even in victory. 3 battles represent the origin of the phrase “Pyrrhic victory” The battle of Heraclea was a decisive victory for Pyrrhus, who employed a tight phalanx formation with elephant charges. Though the win was complete, it caused high casualties of Pyrrhus’ best troops.

The next battle of Asculum was a similar result; the Romans attempted to repulse the elephants with war wagons but failed. The Romans withdrew to higher ground. The Romans were worse off, but Pyrrhus lost thousands of men and his best officers. The battle of Beneventum was either inconclusive, a Roman victory or a victory for Pyrrhus. The Romans repulsed the elephants and send them rampaging through Pyrrhus’ lines. The result drove him from Italy and in 278 B.C.E. Pyrrhos abandoned Taras to its fate.

He returned in 275 B.C.E., but was soundly defeated and returned to Epirus. Three years later Taras was besieged and the city finally fell to the Romans.

A superbly struck example of a rare gold stater from the ancient Greek city state of Taras (Tarentum) in southern Italy, a.k.a. Calabria. The 8.55 g coin dates from 276-272 BC. The obverse shows the head of Zeus. On the reverse an eagle with wings displayed perches on a thunderbolt. $ 18,000 in VF.

EPIRUS. Pyrrhus (297–272 BC). Silver tetradrachm (16.56 gm). $60K in 2012.

After the particularly bloody Battle of Asculum in 279 BCE, Pyrrhus famously remarked: “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.” This would live forever in the phrase “Pyrrhic victory”. The silver tetradrachms were a high-value coin and were struck with dies engraved by the most skilled artisans.

Pyrrhos, King of Epiros, (297-272 BC.), AV Stater, 8.55g, Struck in Syracuse, 278 BC. $180k.

To pay mercenaries needed to fight the Carthaginians, Pyrrhus produced a huge issue of gold staters and half staters at Syracuse. The finest engravers were hired to produce stunning designs.