Page 56 - All About History - Issue 19-14

Spartacus: HowaSlaveDefiedaRepublic

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5eXT^\aZ g[X eXib_g JTe haWXe
—Murtina
73 BCE
While based at the Capuan 73-72 BCE Crassus
01gladiatorial training school owned The uprising spreads across the nearby regions,
by Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Batiatus, 04freeing slaves and swelling its ranks to over 70,000 71 BCE
Despite the loss of
Spartacus hatched a plan to break free fighters. Alarmed at the size of the revolt, the Senate 05Craxis and his forces,
of the camp. Despite their attempts dispatches a consular army to engage the slaves. It’s
at secrecy the plot is betrayed, but initially successful, with Crixus and around 30,000 slaves Spartacus has led the larger
force into the south of
Spartacus still manages to muster being defeated by General Lucius Gellius Publicola.
between 70 and 80 willing slaves – many Italy, which continued to
sweep Roman forces. The
of whom were former soldiers – to join
his escape. Senate grants praetorship to
Marcus Licinius Crassus and
—Rome an army of around almost
50,000 infantrymen.
Crassus and Spartacus’s first
clash ends in defeat for the
slave, with a loss of 6,000
men. After being betrayed
G[X `\_\gTel Tee\iXf —Capua by pirates, Spartacus’s force
retreats to Rhegium.
73 BCE
After breaking free, the group elects
02three individuals to lead them; two
Gallic slaves, Crixus and Oenomaus and
Spartacus. The group ransacks military
equipment from the camp and takes
on a small force sent to quash them.
Spartacus’s group easily defeats the
soldiers, plunders the surrounding region G[X 5Tgg_X bY g[X
and adds more slaves to its number —Thurli
before retiring to a defensive position on F\_Xe E\iXe
Mount Vesuvius.
71 BCE
The legions of Pompey are
06returning home after the
conquest of Hispania, so the Senate
orders them to march directly
CeTXgbe\Ta `\Z[g to Crassus’s position. With news
of the reinforcements reaching
Spartacus he attempts to negotiate
73 BCE
With news spreading of the revolt, Rome dispatches a a truce, but Crassus refuses and kills
03militia of 3,000 men to stop the uprising. Praetor Gaius 12,300 fleeing rebels. Despite the
Claudius Glaber leads the reactionary force, blocking the revolt —Rhegium insurmountable odds, Spartacus and
from escaping its base on Vesuvius. Spartacus’s men use vines his men charge into Crassus’s forces.
to rappel down the side of the mountain at night, sneaking up Spartacus dies on the battlefield
on the force and annihilating them. —Sicily with his rebel cohorts.
many more. With two military successes to its Lucius Gellius’s legions ambush Crixus’s legion in outright. He even captures 300 legionnaires and
name and with news of the revolt spreading across thefoothillsofMountGarganus.TheGaulishslaves has them executed as a message to Gellius and
the region, Spartacus’s rebellion now totals over fightfortheirlives,butthedisciplineofGellius’s Rome itself. Gellius’s 30,000-strong army arrives a
150,000 slaves. Hundreds of camps litter the plains forces wins out and the smaller rebellion army is few days later and clashes with Spartacus’s larger
of Campania, their food reserves restocked from slaughtered, along with both Crixus and Oenomaus. force in the mountain range. Drenched in blood
the towns and settlements they now control. By Itistherebellion’sfirstloss. on the front line, Spartacus leads the charge into
now, Spartacus’s uprising has also bisected into two the legionnaires and inspires his fellow rebels to
separate forces – one mainly consisting of Thracians overcome the disciplined soldiers. When the brutal
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and other slaves and the other commanded by “ “Spartacus sends battle is done, the rebel army sends a wounded
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Crixus and Oenomaus. The force under Spartacus’s a a a handful of Gellius and a handful of survivors back to Rome
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two allies is essentially a Celtic army, bolstered by as a reminder that these former slaves will not be
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Gaulish slaves and so it pushes further into the s s s survivors back brought to heel so easily.
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Appelines with many of its number hoping to find t to Rome as a By the spring of 71 BCE it seems the Senate
a new freedom in Gaul itself. r reminder that needs a miracle to defeat Spartacus – it comes in
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With a great deal of Rome’s military might the form of Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of the
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consigned to putting down another rebellion in t these former most successful and revered generals of the entire
Hispania (modern-day Spain), the Republic musters s s slaves will not be Republic. The Senate grants him full praetorship
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what forces it can from its disparate military. and a combined army of six legions. With an army
Finally realising the gravity of the situation, the brought to heel” of around 40,000 legionnaires, Crassus marches
Senate chooses to combine the forces of two its toward the remaining rebel forces. Crassus is a
most revered generals, Lucius Gellius Publicola and Gellius’s legions now have a taste for blood. hardline general, a brutal leader who executes any
Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodanius to make an They turn their attentions to Spartacus’s army as rebels he finds and treats his own men with as
army of around 50,000 legionnaires. The uprising it heads toward Cisalpine Gaul. Before Gellius’s much disdain, not hesitating to use decimation for
is now split into two groups with around 30,000 forces can reach Spartacus, though, Lentulus’s his own troops following murmurs of tiredness or
troops under the command of Crixus, but the bulk legions attempt to trap him in the narrow paths insubordination. Decimation involved a section of
of the rebellion remains with Spartacus. Realising of the Appelines. However, Spartacus rushes into the army drawing lots in groups of ten; the other
that this division can be used to their advantage, Lentulus’s forces head-on and destroys them nine, usually by stoning or clubbing, would kill
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