The Story of Spartacus

In 73 BC, six hundred and eighty-one years after the founding of the city of Rome, during the consulship of Lucullus and Cassius the republic was fighting wars at both ends of the Mediterranean. The Romans were attempting to defeat Pompey on one side and attempting to dominate Northern Africa and Asia Minor. The Romans were also struggling to deal with Pirates sailing the seas.

Introduction

Slavery was common in Ancient Rome. Almost every wealthy family owned slaves. Many slaves were used for house and field work. But others were forced to become Gladiators. It was common for these Gladiators to become heroes in Rome. One of the most famous Slave Gladiators was Spartacus.

Introduction

The Story of Spartacus

Spartacus was a tribal warrior from the Ancient region of Thrace. As a warrior, he received decent training. One day the Romans destroyed Thrace and Spartacus was taken as a slave. Seen as a strong warrior and fighter, Spartacus joined the Roman army. After he attempted to desert the army, Spartacus was captured, brought to Rome, and sold into Slavery.

As a slave, Spartacus was forced into Gladiator school. There, Spartacus received harsh treatment and brutal training. Slaves often were starved and beaten in order to make them tougher.

Eventually Spartacus started a small riot at the Gladiator school. Spartacus and two

other strong gladiators eventually escaped the school and slavery. The three men were now fugitives and were fleeing through the

Roman Empire. In the streets, the men found gladiatorial weapons and stole them.

Roman soldiers eventually caught up to Spartacus and the other two men. The soldiers tried to stop the escaped slaves, but the three slaves used their weapons to easily defeat the Soldiers. Spartacus and the other two slaves took the better military weapons and continued on their journey. Along their route, they picked up many other rural slaves.

ESCAPE

Spartacus defeated several other small groups of Roman Soldiers along his journey. The group of escaped slaves continued to grow in size as they travelled throughout the empire. The Roman government did not realize how well Spartacus had organized the slaves. They government made no attempt to end the revolt.

SPARTACUS ORGANIZES HIS SLAVE TROOPS

Eventually, Spartacus had picked up around 100,000 Slaves! They headed towards the Alps. Once they reached the Alps, Spartacus had intended for the slaves to disband and move into other villages far from where they had originated. This group of run-away slaves was now referred to as Spartacans, and Spartacus was becoming a legend throughout Rome.

One of the problems Spartacus encountered was he had little control over the 100,000 slaves. Instead of disbanding, the group stayed together. Many felt that they would be a strong force in driving out the corrupt Consuls. Common citizens feared the Spartacans because many of the men pillaged and destroyed the countryside.

The Roman way of life for the wealthy was dependent upon slaves. The use of slave labor was one of the main reasons so many poor Roman citizens were out of work. Slave labor was free. About 1/3 of the people in the Roman Empire were slaves. Wealthy citizens could not allow this revolt to succeed, not if they wanted to keep their lifestyle.  Finally, the Roman Government had to take the Spartacans seriously.

Catching Spartacus was not easy. Spartacus and his followers spent their first winter with plenty of good food that they stole from the surrounding countryside. They prepared for battle and they made weapons. The gladiators taught others how to fight like a gladiator and because of this the Spartacans became a strong force. Spartacus had become a famous slave leader throughout Rome and was a legend. Not many people knew what he looked like, but stories told that he was a large and powerful individual

BECOMING A LEGEND

The Romans combined five legions of their Army to find and defeat the Spartacans.

Spartacus heard news of these and continued to prepare for a battle. Spartacus

saw the movement of the army and he command his men to attack the Roman

Army from the rear. The Spartacans were successful!

The Roman Army decided to combine ten legions from all throughout the Roman Republic. The Spartacans attempted to flee to a higher ground. They continued to move North.

TIME TO ESCAPE

The Romans continued to pursue the Spartacans. They had the goal of capturing Spartacus alive or dead. Eventually the Spartacans had no strong escape route because the Roman Army had blocked their routes. There was nothing left to do but for Spartacus and his men to attempt to defeat the Roman Army in battle.

The Spartacans were quickly surrounded during this battle. It lasted for hours! Thousands of Spartacans were slayed. Under 1000 Romans died. Although many Spartacans had escaped into the mountains, six thousand fleeing slaves had been captured by the Romans.

SURROUNDED

The Roman Generals demanded to find Spartacus in the crowd of 6,000 captured. They said that the captured would be allowed to return to their lives of slavery without further punishment if they presented the Roman Government with the body of Spartacus, living or dead. If they failed to do so, all of the men would be crucified.

TURN HIM IN!

One by one, the 6,000 Spartacans began to

stand, each one proclaiming “I am Spartacus!”.

“I am Spartacus!”

“I am Spartacus!”

“I am Spartacus!”

“I am

Sparta

cus!”

“I am Spartacus!”

“I am Spartacus!”

“I am Spartacus!”“I am Spartacus!”

“I AM SPARTACUS!”

Baffled and stunned by this occurrence, the Roman Generals had no choice but to destroy all 6,000 captured slaves.

END RESULT

The body of Spartacus was never

found. But his legacy would live on in Rome for thousands of years.

THE END