Spartacus, The Famous Gladiator Who Never Fought In The Arena
Denis Foyatier/Wikimedia CommonsA statue of Spartacus at the Louvre.
Unlike Marcus Attilius, whose feats might have been totally lost without Mount Vesuvius, Spartacus’ story has stood the test of time. Curiously, however, this famous gladiator never fought in an arena.
Centuries before the 1960 film Spartacus, the real-life gladiator was born around 100 B.C.E. in Thrace, located in the present-day Balkan region. He may have served in the Roman army before he was sold into slavery and sent to a gladiatorial school in Capua, Italy.
There, around 73 B.C.E., Spartacus escaped with several others. From their refuge on Mount Vesuvius, their forces gradually grew until they purportedly numbered 100,000 men. Spartacus and his army fought against Roman troops in what became known as the Third Servile War — or the Gladiators’ War.
Public DomainA depiction of the death of Spartacus.
Though the ragtag army managed to triumph over Roman forces as they marched toward Gaul, their luck ran out in Lucania. The Roman authorities had sent a politician and general named Marcus Licinius Crassus to deal with Spartacus and his soldiers, and Crassus easily crushed the rebellious gladiators and slaves.
Spartacus was purportedly killed during the battle.
If so, he was one of the lucky ones. Some 6,000 men who managed to escape immediate death were hunted down by Roman authorities and faced execution by crucifixion.
