13. A fallen gladiator was expected to show pride and honor – and his throat to his opponent so he could die a ‘good death’
Despite their tough luck in life, gladiators were expected to be noble and ‘honorable’ in death. All gladiators were instructed to accept the will of their editor. So, if the editor decreed that they be killed, they were expected to accept this. That meant a defeated gladiator was not supposed to beg for mercy. They weren’t even supposed to cry out. Rather, a dignified end meant kneeling on the arena floor and showing your throat to your opponent to be cut. If you did indeed die well, then you would be treated with extra dignity, with your body removed gracefully from the arena on a couch dedicated to the Roman goddess of funeral rites, Libitina.