Myth: Gladiator's Famous Salute

There is a famous gladiatorial “catchphrase”, which is constantly used in popular culture: "Those who are about to die salute you". Supposedly it was widely used by the gladiators when they were greeting the patron of the games.

Well, it was not a common “gladiator’s salute” and it was quite probably used, like, once. Or even never. It can be an invention of the ancient historians. This phrase is quoted by Suetonius and Cassius Dio and refers to one episode during the reign of the emperor Claudius.