Top 10 facts about Spartacus 

Fights between gladiators were the most interesting thing that could happen.
Gladiators attracted hundreds of people in the arena to cheer for them from the stands.
Like football matches, the World Cup or UEFA European Championship! People wanted to escape the life of poverty and hardship they lived due to the huge influx of slaves.
The greatest expansion of Rome occurred during the 1st century B.C.
Wealth and slaves flowed into the Roman city from every part of the world known until then. Slaves took part in the entertainment of the hungry and destitute people. And this is where the famous Spartacus comes in.
Keep reading to find out the top 10 facts about Spartacus.

1. Who is Spartacus?


 

spartacu

Spartacus by 139904- Pixabay

Spartacus was a slave from Thrace, a region of the eastern Balkans. Starting from 146 BC Macedonia had become a Roman province, to which Thrace was then annexed only in 129. Romans were also forced to intervene to tame the rebellions of the many local tribes. It seems that Spartacus was born in one of these tribes: a community of nomads and shepherds. Spartacus became a slave captured by Roman Legionaries. Lentulo Batiato brought him and took him to the Campania region.

2. From the Roman army to slavery

Costume by dozemode – Pixabay

 

According to some scholars and researchers, Spartacus was also a Roman soldier. But at some point, his military career ended and he became enslaved.
His military career end due to a rebellion against the Romans themselves. Unfortunately, there are no reliable sources on the subject. What is certain is that Spartacus was a rebellious man!
 

3. Spartacus the mirmillone

Gladiators by barmalyanich – Pixabay

 

Spartacus was a gladiator known as “mirmillone“.
According to the scholars he had a powerful physique and had a sort of armour.
The helmet covered the entire face and decorated with marine figures. He had a big shield and a short sword known as “gladius”.
The other types of gladiators known are “secutores”, “thrace” and “retiarius.
 

4. The rebellion begins

Chariot by Dean Moriarty – Pixabay

Spartacus hated the life that Lentulus offered him as a slave and gladiator. In 73 BC he decides to escape from the Capuan Amphitheater. His first stop during his revolt was Vesuvius, his followers were about 50. On the way to Vesuvius, they clashed with a group of Roman soldiers and got the better of them. So, Spartacus was then elected leader of his group along with Enomao and Crixus.

 

5. The first defeat of the Romans

roman by di Franck Barske -Pixabay

 
 
The praetor Gaius Claudius Glabro tried to block the main roads towards Vesuvius. But it wasn’t that easy. Spartacus created ropes to descend the slopes of the mountain using wild vineyards. Once off the slopes, they surrounded the Roman militias and took their equipment. Only in 72 BC did the Romans begin to understand the seriousness of the problem.
Crisso and Enomao, wanted another offensive against the legions. But Spartacus did not want to.
The 40,000 rebel units decide to split up.
Spartacus reaches northern Italy while the others stop in Puglia.
But Spartacus managed to put together an effective cavalry corps and managed to defeat Lentulus, inflicting another severe blow to the Roman army, and getting even closer to the Alps.
 
 

6. Crassus’s intervention

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 
The proconsul Marco Licinio Crasso obtained the task of suppressing the revolt. Crassus thus obtained the command of six legions to crush the enemy of Rome.
After many vicissitudes, Crassus was then defeated in the battle of Petilia.
The final battle which saw the defeat and death of Spartacus in 71 BC. took place near Petilia.
 

7. The legends of Spartacus and his death

Disegno di Jean-Léon Gérôme

 
According to a legend Spartacus was not recognized and captured as a simple rebel.
He was then crucified along with his fellow adventurers along the Appian Way.
According to ancient historians, Crasso killed him on the battlefield and his body was never found.
But according to another legend, Spartacus ended up somewhere else but not in roman territories.
 

8. The Spartacus TV series

Spartacus by RanZag Wikimedia

From 2010 until 2013 I had the opportunity to see this beautiful series on TV.
It tells the story of Spartacus, a gladiator played by Liam McIntyre and then by Andy Whitfiels.
The story is set near the Ancient Capua Amphitheater.
The exploits of Spartacus are told and the Roman society of the time and the intrigues caused by the most other classes are represented.
The first season “Spartacus – Blood and Sand” was shot entirely in New Zealand with 13 episodes.
The second season instead consists of 10 episodes “Spartacus: the revenge” and then the third season “Spartacus: the war of the damned”.
If you want to know more about his story, I suggest you watch the series!

9. Stanley Kubrick’s film

Spartacus by Reynold Brown – Wikimedia Commons

I believe that not many people have seen this movie to date.
Kubrick replaced Anthony Mann but was not the art director of Spartacus.
The film tells the story of Spartacus, deported from Libya and then trained as a gladiator in Capua. Spartacus is in a dilemma, he must learn to kill to survive. Spartacus hatches rebellion against his masters and slavery.
The development of the plot sees a riot and the rebels who put Batiatus’ home to fire and sword. Thus begins the rebellion of Spartacus and all the slaves who want to be free.

 

10. A book about Spartacus

If you are interested in the history of Spartacus, his myth and his legend and want to deepen the subject then I recommend you read this book: “Spartacus: The Myth and the Man” by M.J. Trow.
Here you will find many interesting notions, his story and his fights and the rebellion against the slavers but also many connections with his life and references to our actual situation. On the market you will find many books about this legen but this is what I liked the most.
The reading is light and the themes are interesting and well documented.

Don’t miss it! Check here for more informations about the book! 

 

Another tip!
If you are passionate and want to really know more then you will find the miniseries “Spartacus and the gods of the arena”, a prequel of the television series “Spartacus” that I told you about in point 8.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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