"Morituri te salutant" is a Latin phrase that translates to "we who are about to die salute you" or "those who are about to die salute you". It was supposedly spoken by Roman gladiators to the Emperor before combat.

• Historical accounts: The phrase is recorded by Suetonius in "De Vita Caesarum" (The Lives of the Caesars). He recounts that condemned prisoners participating in a mock naval battle (naumachia) during Emperor Claudius' reign (41-54 AD) used the phrase.
• The event: In AD 52, Claudius staged a naval battle on Lake Fucinus. Before the battle, the combatants hailed Claudius with "Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant!".
• Claudius' response: Claudius responded with "Aut non" ("Or not"), which the fighters interpreted as a pardon and refused to fight. However, Claudius coerced them into fighting.
• Gladiators vs. Naumachiarii: The salute was given by naumachiarii (participants in naval battles), not gladiators. Naumachiae were large-scale spectacles involving combat on ships, often with prisoners of war and criminals forced to participate.
• Not a regular salute: It's inferred that the naumachiarii used the phrase as an appeal for sympathy rather than a formal salute.

Despite historical doubts, "Morituri te salutant" has become popular in modern culture.

• It is often associated with gladiators in movies and other media.
• The phrase appears in literature, music, and film.

• "Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant" ("Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you").
• "Ave Caesar, morituri te salutamus" ("Hail Caesar, we who are about to die salute you").

• Music: The phrase is used as a title for songs by Karel Kryl and Rage, and Hekate.
• Games: It appears as the title of an achievement in the game Honkai: Star Rail. It is also the name of a quest in Expeditions: Viking.
• Art: Jean-Léon Gérôme's painting "Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutant" depicts gladiators saluting Vitellius.
• Other: The phrase is used in the names of martial arts equipment, board games, and a Doom map.