Secutor

This article is about a class of gladiator. For the fish genus, see Secutor (fish).
Secutor
Mosaic, 4th century AD, showing a retiarius or "net fighter", with a trident and cast net, fighting a secutor
Knife handle in the form of a secutor, showing the distinctive shield, helmet, and sword

A secutor (pl. secutores) was a class of gladiator in ancient Rome. Thought to have originated around 50 AD, the secutor ("follower" or "chaser", from sequor "I follow, come or go after") was armed similarly to the murmillo gladiator and like the murmillo, was protected by a heavy shield. A secutor usually carried a short sword, a gladius, or a dagger. The secutor was specially trained to fight a retiarius, a type of lightly armoured gladiator armed with a trident and net.