sum Spartacus What we know about Spartacus 1

sum Spartacus!

What we know about Spartacus… 1. He was born free in Thrace 2. He may have served in the army and deserted 3. He was sold into slavery as a gladiator in Capua (a town in Campania)

In 73 BC, Spartacus escaped with 70 -80 slaves. They armed themselves with knives from the kitchen and a few weapons. Vesuvius would have been covered in trees. It was a fertile area. You can see some forest still today. They hid on Mount Vesuvius and plundered the region. The people were in a panic.

Three thousand Roman soldiers were sent to squash this little rebellion. The Romans lost.

Slaves, when they learned of the rebellion, became emboldened. They too escaped and joined Spartacus. Soon the slave army grew from 70 to 70, 000. And then it grew to 120, 000!

People were in a complete panic. Remember – about 1/3 of the Italian population was enslaved. Suddenly, the slaves were rebelling. Who knew where this would end.

The Romans sent Crassus to defeat Spartacus. After a series of battles, Spartacus was defeated. It is believed that he died in the final battle. Even though Crassus defeated Spartacus, Pompey tried to claim credit for the victory.

About 6000 slaves were taken prisoner. Many were crucified by Crassus on the march along the Appian Way from Capua to Rome.

Spartacus became a film in 1960. It won some academy awards, and it is often listed in the list of top 100 movies.