Spartacus' Rebellion, Roman Empire

It is 73 BCE, and deep in the cells beneath a gladiator school in the town of Capua, the fighters whisper words of rebellion. Whispers turn to murmurs and then murmurs to violence. One among them, a young Thracian, finally lights the fuse and one night the men break from their cells, kill their guards, steal knives and clubs and disappear to the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, shrouding themselves behind the smoke of Vulcan’s furnace.

The men survive by banditry, always one step ahead of the Romans, striking like wolves, then disappearing like ghosts. As their victories grow, more and more of the disaffected, the enslaved, and the destitute join their ranks. They raid the lands of their former masters, carrying off livestock, gold and weapons. Tens of thousands of rebels gather around the young Thracian gladiator who leads them into battle, divides the spoils equally, and calls himself Spartacus.

The Romans don’t take the problem seriously at first - they don’t believe a band of slaves and paupers are capable of threatening their state. A badly prepared force is sent against the rebels, which is easily destroyed. The rebels then flee to Northern Italy, perhaps hoping to cross the Alps. Two legions are sent to cut them off, one blocks their route to freedom, the other prevents their retreat. To the shock and horror of the Romans, Spartacus defeats them both.

Spartacus decides to turn his force around and head to Rome. According to the historian Arrian, Spartacus has by this point gathered tens of thousands of men around him. Modern historian Mary Beard notes that it is impossible to call this a slave rebellion anymore, with a force this size, there must have been tens of thousands of disaffected free Italians in Spartacus’ ranks - a slave rebellion has turned into a civil war.

The man tasked with bringing Spartacus down is named Marcus Licinius Crassus. He is the richest man in Rome, building his wealth from speculating on property confiscated during Sulla’s proscriptions, and buying houses that were at risk of catching fire for a trifling price. Crassus is given 8 legions, a massive force. His first act is to decimate two of those legions, executing one in ten men by lot as a punishment for their failure to contain Spartacus. Crassus kills 4000 of his own soldiers, assuring them that they have more to fear from their commander than their enemy.

Meanwhile, Spartacus moves his forces to Lucania, in southern Italy. Here, Spartacus and Crassus meet in battle. Crassus is victorious and the rebels retreat to Sicily, but they are cut off and surrounded. Spartacus is in a corner, besieged, he prepares to make his last stand.

Crassus waits patiently, but the Roman people desperately want the war to end. A famous general, Gnaeus Pompey, is recalled from his campaigns to help Crassus finish the rebellion. Now it is Crassus who wants to finish the war up quickly - he has a long-standing rivalry with Pompey, and if he arrives before Spartacus’ defeat, then he will have to share the honour of victory. Crassus tells Spartacus he is willing to negotiate, but the rebels refuse; a force of their cavalry has arrived, and so they make a desperate sally, hoping to punch through the legions and escape.

Crassus manages to win the ensuing battle, Spartacus is killed (though his body is never found), and the recaptured slaves are executed. Crassus makes a grisly display of 6000 rebels, crucified along the Appian Way, the road connecting Capua with Rome, reminding any who travels the route of the consequences of rebellion.

Meanwhile, Pompey has arrived in Italy with his army, and now a stand-off begins. Traditionally, Roman military commanders would relinquish control over their legions when their purpose was fulfilled. But both men refuse to stand their forces down until it is decided who will be elected as the next consul. 

Both men are given the consulship, but still, they refuse to disband their armies. The Roman people begin to be fearful of a repeat of the crimes of Marius and Sulla. One day, the people exhort them to de-escalate in the Forum. Though they are resisted at first, finally, Crassus agrees, striding up to Pompey with his hand outstretched. Pompey hastens to meet him, and war is averted. And so begins the consulship of Crassus and Pompey.