Ave Caesar

Ave Caesar

"Ave, Imperator, morituri te salutant" or "Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant" ("Hail, Emperor (Caesar), those who are about to die salute you") is a well-known Latin phrase quoted in Suetonius, De Vita Caesarum ("The Life of the Caesars", or "The Twelve Caesars"). It was used during an event in AD 52 on Lake Fucinus by naumachiarii—captives and criminals fated to die fighting during mock naval encounters—in the presence of the emperor Claudius. Suetonius reports that Claudius replied "Aut non" ("or not").

Variant wordings include "Ave Caesar" and "Nos morituri te salutamus" —the latter in the 1st person ("We who are about to die salute you")—and a response in 15th century texts of "Avete vos" ("Fare you well").

Despite its popularization in later times, the phrase is not recorded elsewhere in Roman history, and it is questionable whether it was ever a customary salute. It was more likely an isolated appeal by desperate captives and criminals condemned to die, and noted by Roman historians in part for the unusual mass reprieve granted to the survivors.

Read more about Ave Caesar:  Historical Source Material, Usage in Roman Times, Usage in Modern Times, Writing and Pronunciation

Famous quotes containing the words ave and/or caesar:

    And forever, brother, hail and farewell.
    [Atque in perpetuum, frater, ave atque vale.]
    Catullus [Gaius Valerius Catullus] (84–54 B.C.)

    Brutus. How many times shall Caesar bleed in sport,
    That now on Pompey’s basis lies along,
    No worthier than the dust!
    Cassius. So oft as that shall be,
    So often shall the knot of us be called
    The men that gave their country liberty.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)