Spiculus, The Favorite Gladiator Of Emperor Nero
Corning Museum of GlassThe Chavagnes Cup is a glass vessel that purportedly includes an image of Spiculus, a favorite gladiator of Nero.
Like Spartacus and Crixus, Spiculus attended gladiatorial school in Capua. Unlike these rebellious gladiators, however, Spiculus achieved great glory in the arena — before meeting an ugly death.
Like Marcus Attilius, Spiculus grew in prominence during the reign of Emperor Nero (54 to 68 C.E.). During his first fight, Spiculus attracted the emperor’s attention when he soundly defeated and killed a much more veteran gladiator named Aptonetus.
Nero liked Spiculus so much that he showered the gladiator with gifts. Having the favor of the emperor made life pretty good for Spiculus, who was technically enslaved. But then the political winds in Rome changed.
Helen Cook/Wikimedia CommonsThough Spiculus was favored by Nero, the emperor’s reign eventually came to an ugly and violent end.
In 68 C.E., Nero was declared an enemy of the people and condemned to die. Nero reached out to Spiculus, his gladiator friend, to help him with the task. For reasons lost to time, Spiculus did not respond to Nero’s plea. The emperor then died by suicide. The historian Suetonius records that he stabbed himself in the throat with a dagger.
Though Spiculus had avoided any final association with the unpopular emperor, he didn’t fare much better than Nero in the end.
According to Plutarch, Spiculus was caught up in the anti-Nero sentiment that raced through the Roman Empire. As statues of Nero were pulled down, Spiculus was thrown beneath them and crushed.
