Biography of Spartacus

Biography of Spartacus

Born in Thrace, Spartacus fought for the Romans, maybe deserted, organized robbery expeditions, was apprehended and bought as a slave. He fled a gladiatorial training school in Capua in 73 with roughly 70 other gladiators. They sought safety on Mount Vesuvius, where additional fugitive slaves joined them. The rebels took over most of southern Italy after decisively defeating two Roman legions in a row.

Biography of Spartacus

Biography of Spartacus

Early Life

The early years of Spartacus are not well documented. He was a young Thracian who enlisted in the Roman army. But things did not turn out as planned. He attempted to get out of the service. He was sold into slavery as a gladiator after being discovered to be fleeing.

Life as a Gladiator

Spartacus was a gladiator by trade. He was essentially a slave who was made to battle for the Romans’ amusement. He was sent to a gladiator school, where he received ongoing fighting instruction. After that, he was sent into the arena to battle other gladiators or animals. There were bouts that were death-matches. He had to be extremely fortunate to have survived and a skilled fighter.

It was a hard life for him as a gladiator. He was sick of putting his life in danger for other people’s amusement. He was ready to get out and head home.

Escape

Seventy gladiators, led by Spartacus, broke out of the gladiator school in 73 BC. They managed to seize their armor and weapons and battle their way out. They escaped to Mount Vesuvius, which is close to Pompeii, recruiting additional slaves for their little army along the way.

Fighting Rome

Rome dispatched an army of 3,000 soldiers, with Claudius Glaber serving as commander. At Mount Vesuvius, Glaber surrounded the slaves and made the decision to wait them out. He assumed they would get hungry eventually.

But Spartacus had an alternative notion. Using the vines from nearby trees, he and the gladiators slipped around the Roman forces and down the mountainside. Almost all 3,000 of the Roman soldiers were slaughtered by them.

A second army of about 6,000 men was sent by Rome. Once more, Spartacus and the slaves vanquished them.

More Slaves Join

More and more slaves started to elude their owners and side with Spartacus as he continued to defeat the Roman army. Spartacus’ army quickly grew to include nearly 70,000 slaves! The slaves were taught how to fight by the gladiators using their combat experience. They had defeated the Roman army, thus they also had an abundance of armor and weaponry.

Spartacus and his 70,000 slaves set up camp in northern Italy during that year’s winter. They practiced for the conflicts they knew were coming by raiding Roman settlements in search of food and supplies.

Final Battle

The vast horde of gladiators and slaves circling the nation frightened and alarmed the Romans more and more. They assembled a sizable force led by Crassus, numbering about 50,000 warriors. Pompey the Great was returning from a different war at the same time. Spartacus was slain and the slave uprising was put down by the two generals.

Facts about Spartacus

• The slave uprising led by Spartacus is called the Third Servile War by historians.
• The gladiators used kitchen utensils to fight their way to where their weapons and armor were stored.
• Spartacus body was never found, however most historians agree that he was killed on the battlefield.
• The Romans captured 6,000 slaves in the final battle. They crucified all 6,000 along a road called the Appian Way that went from Rome to Capua where the rebellion first began.
• Both Crassus and Pompey were rewarded for putting down the revolt by being elected as consuls in 70 BC.
• The character of Spartacus was played by Kirk Douglas in the 1960 film Spartacus. The movie won four Academy Awards.

Read also: Biography of Nero