Spartacus

Spartacus, leader of the Roman slaves in the great revolt which broke out about 73 B.C., was a Thracian by birth, and from a shepherd had become a leader of a band of robbers when he was captured and sold to a trainer of gladiators at Capua. He formed a conspiracy to escape, and, when it was discovered, broke out with some seventy followers, with whom he made for the crater of Vesuvius, where hordes of runaway slaves soon joined him. He first overpowered and seized the arms of a force sent against him from Capua, next routed an army of 3000 men under C. Clodius, and so passed from victory to victory, overrunning Southern Italy and sacking many of the cities of Campania, his numbers growing to forty, seventy, and even a hundred, thousand men. Great part of Central and Southern Italy had been thrown into pasture-land, on which the flocks belonging to rich absentee nobles were tended by gangs of discontented slaves, who flocked eagerly to the standard of revolt. Spartacus, who failed to get support from the Italian communities, and from the first knew the real weakness of his position, strove to persuade his victorious bands to march northwards to the Alps and disperse to their native regions; but they were intoxicated with victory, and saw glittering before their eyes all the plunder of Italy. Against his better judgment he continued the war, showing himself a consummate captain in the strategy and valour with which he routed one Roman consular army after another, and the policy by which for long he assuaged the jealousies and dissensions amongst his followers. At length in 71 M. Licinius Crassus received the command, and after some time of cautious delay forced Spartacus into the narrow peninsula of Rhegium, from which, however, he burst out through the Roman lines with a portion of his force. Crassus, in despair, urged the senate to recall Lucullus from Asia and Pompey from Spain, but meantime he himself pursued active hostilities against the dreaded enemy. Spartacus finding all hope at an end made a dash on Brundusium, hoping to seize the shipping and get across the Adriatic, but was foiled by the presence of Lucullus, whereupon he fell back upon the river Silarus, and there made a heroic stand against Crassus until he was cut down.