finger of his left hand. This was a signal asking for mercy. The emperor decided if the man lived or died. But he also let people in the crowd give their opinion. The audience voted with their thumbs. If they made one gesture, the gladiator lived. If they gave another, the emperor signaled to the victorious fighter to cut his opponent's throat. Most gladiators did not survive for very long. But successful gladiators were the rock stars of the Roman empire. Childretø played with clay gladiator “action figures." There posters with their pictures around the city. And women loved them. One piece of graffiti in Pompeii said a certain gladiator was “the delight of all the girls." If a skillful and lucky fighter were won enough bouts, he was allowed to retire. He was given a wooden sword, called a rudis, as a symbol of his freedom.