Page 59 - All About History - Issue 19-14

Spartacus: How a Slave Defied a Republic

Kirk Douglas played
Spartacus in the 1960
Oscar-winning film of POPULAR
the same name
MEDIA &
MYTH
Why has Spartacus’s
story endured
throughout history?

While his uprising was ultimately
defeated like the previous two servile
wars,hisactionsasageneralanda
defier of authority has immortalised
himasasymbolofuniversalrebellion.
Embodied by future rebellion leaders
(the Haitian Revolution’s leader
François-Dominique Toussaint
Louverture was nicknamed the
‘Black Spartacus’ by his enemies),
popular media (Kubrick’s Spartacus
filmandthepopularStarzTVseries
tonamebuttwo)andevenaslewof
sports teams. Bulgaria in particular,
themodern-daysiteofSpartacus’s
supposed birthplace, openly celebrate
him as a national hero. However, some
theories suggest that Spartacus was
notasinglemanatall,butinfacta
cabalofindividualswhoknewthat
inordertodefytheRepublicthey
needed one figurehead that would
both inspire the people and strike
fear into the heart of authority. While
suchatheorydoesseemplausible
considering the rebellion’s scale, such
adetailhasbeenlosttothelegacyofa
single defiant man.

the soldier that loses. Crassus is unlike anyone wearingtherebelarmydowninsmallbattles peacefulresolutionhasfailed,aportionoftherebel
Spartacus has ever faced. andskirmishes.Thetideisnowturninginthe army breaks away and flees into Petulia. A large
Before Crassus and Spartacus meet for the first favourofthepraetor,andSpartacusknowsit.The consignmentofCrassus’slegionspeelsawayand
time, Spartacus defeats two of Crassus’s allies slave-turned-rebel-leader sends his forces into pursues them. With a lashing storm boiling on the
in Picenum, tearing their legionnaires to shreds Rhegium, but Crassus builds fortifications on the horizon,thelegionnairescatchtheterrifiedformer
as they attempt to outflank the rebel army. As border,cuttingofftheThracian’ssupplylines.By slaves, butchering over 12,000 of them.
Crassus’s forces approach, Spartacus attempts to thesummerof71BCEthesteamisfastdissipating Spartacus’s own forces arrive to find the
show humility and barter a truth with the Romans. consignmentoflegionnairesstandinginafield
Crassus, sensing weakness, immediately attacks, coveredwiththeirfallenbrothers.TheThracian
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his extremely disciplined soldiers carving into “ “Those slaves that engages the soldiers, but Crassus’s main army
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Spartacus’s men. The rebels soon battle back but c c chose to run were arrivessoonafter.Despitebringingthesmall
Crassus’s forces are relentless – Spartacus realises militaryforcetoheel,Spartacusknowsthereal
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this is not an enemy to be underestimated, so h h h hunted down and danger is behind him. He turns the full force of his
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orders his troops to retreat. In a matter of minutes p punished severely army around and meets Crassus’s men head on.
6,000 rebels are dead with few major losses to t to remind the rest Theyfightwithallthefearlessnessoftruewarriors
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Crassus’s own legions. andgladiators,butthelargerforceofthepraetor
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Spartacus then decides to lead some of his forces that Rome did not begins to slowly wear Spartacus’s men down. The
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over the Mediterranean Sea into Sicily. This large l l look kindly on battle is turning into a slaughter.
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island had once seen a large slave uprising of its From across the battlefield the Thracian,
own decades before and Spartacus was counting deserters” exhaustedfromyearsofconstantfightingand
on the considerable servile population to revolt leadership, spies Crassus across the warzone. Sat
and join his cause. He makes a deal with a band from the rebellion, and with reinforcements atophishorsethegeneralwatchestherebelforce
of local pirates to transport 2,000 of his men onto arriving in the form of the legions of Gnaeus fall apart from the safety of his personal guard.
the isle, but – if the ancient historian Plutarch is to Pompeius Magnus, the great Roman general and SpartacusneverreachesCrassusthoughand
be believed – the pirates instead take the payment future consul, the end looms for Spartacus. his rebellion is routed by the general’s military
and abandon the rebel forces to the Roman legions Hearing of the approach of the Pompey legions, might.Asthelastbreathsoflifeleavehisbodyhe
closing in behind them. Spartacus tries to broker another truce, but witnesseshisbrotherscutdownaroundhim,the
As the weeks roll by Crassus’s forces relentlessly Crassus once again refuses to parlay with the dreamoffreedomanddefyingthemightyRoman
pursue Spartacus through Lucenia, slowly rebel general. At the news that another attempt at Republic finally over.
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