The Spartacus WarAn authoritative account from an expert author: The Spartacus War is the first popular history of the revolt in English. The Spartacus War is the extraordinary story of the most famous slave rebellion in the ancient world, the fascinating true story behind a legend that has been the inspiration for novelists, filmmakers, and revolutionaries for 2,000 years. Starting with only seventy-four men, a gladiator named Spartacus incited a rebellion that threatened Rome itself. With his fellow gladiators, Spartacus built an army of 60,000 soldiers and controlled the southern Italian countryside. A charismatic leader, he used religion to win support. An ex-soldier in the Roman army, Spartacus excelled in combat. He defeated nine Roman armies and kept Rome at bay for two years before he was defeated. After his final battle, 6,000 of his followers were captured and crucified along Rome's main southern highway. The Spartacus War is the dramatic and factual account of one of history's great rebellions. Spartacus was beaten by a Roman general, Crassus, who had learned how to defeat an insurgency. But the rebels were partly to blame for their failure. Their army was large and often undisciplined; the many ethnic groups within it frequently quarreled over leadership. No single leader, not even Spartacus, could keep them all in line. And when faced with a choice between escaping to freedom and looting, the rebels chose wealth over liberty, risking an eventual confrontation with Rome's most powerful forces. The result of years of research, The Spartacus War is based not only on written documents but also on archaeological evidence, historical reconstruction, and the author's extensive travels in the Italian countryside that Spartacus once conquered. |
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Alps ancient sources Annia Appian arms Arrius attack battle Bruttium Caesar camp Campania Cantenna Capua Cato cavalry Celtic Celts Cicero Civil Wars commander consuls countryside Crassus Crassus's Crixus cross crucified crucifixion death defeat Dionysus enemy fight Florus force fought Gaul Gellius Germans Glaber gladiatorial gladiators Greek hills Histories frg honor insurgents Italian Italy Italy's killed legionaries legions Lentulus loot Lucania Lucius Lucullus ludus marched Marcus Marius Melia Ridge miles military Mithridates modern mountains Nola Oxford Paestum perhaps Picentini pirates plain Plutarch Pompey praetor prisoners probably Publius raids rebellion rebels recruits road Roman army Roman citizen Roman Republic Roman writer Rome Rome's Sallust Senate Sertorius Sicilian Slave Sicily Silarus slave revolt slavery soldiers source says southern Italy Spain Sparta Spartacus Spartacus's Spartacus's revolt strait survive thousand Thrace Thracian thraex Thurii took triumph troops turned University Press Varinius Vatia Verres Vesuvius Via Annia victory weapons women