Facing Death in Ancient Rome

The Romans feared death less than they feared the loss of honor and glory. Roman literature abounds with heroic stories of males and females who protected their good name by committing suicide. Additional written and visual data help in understanding how normally death has been perceived and how the Romans dealt with premature death of children, death in the arena as either panalty or for the sake of glory, as well as with death in war for the sake of the patria, or contrariwise murder for the sake of the fatherland.