Emile Durkheim studied altruistic suicide through an exploration of ancient culture. He associated the concept with civilizations in which people have not reached a sufficient degree of individuation & held that the Greek & Roman civilizations had already developed & were not strongly integrated, a precondition for frequent altruistic suicide. Yet, the authors argue that studies of Greeks & Romans show ample examples. Loyalty & devotion appear to be especially powerful motives. It is concluded that altruistic suicide had its place inside the Greco-Roman world. (11 refs)