[Devil's Advocate]

Interestingly, 1 of the most similar units to the Gladiators are the Wolves. The Wolves have a base of 6 movement and 4 defense and with Khosumet average around 4 attack dice. Yes the Wolves cost 5 points more per squad but also don't lose their defense if their Hero dies.

Granted the Wolves lack bonding but then again you can afford almost 2x more squads due to the difference in prices between Spartacus and Khosumet. Basically the Gladiator army is a slight variant to the Anubian Wolves army