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Presentation on the topic: The uprising of Spartacus 74-71. BC

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Curriculum Vitae Spartacus (c. 120 BC - 71 BC), leader of the largest slave uprising in ancient Rome. Comes from the honey tribe in Thrace. Was in the service of King Mithridates. He was captured by the Romans and was sold to the gladiators. Thanks to his high valor, he achieved personal freedom. As an implacable enemy of Rome and a sincere fighter for human freedom, in 74 BC. e. led the uprising of slaves, which soon engulfed all of Italy. Spartak was one of the greatest commanders of its time. At the head of the army of the rebels, he inflicted many defeats on the Roman troops. Only by the combined efforts of their three the largest generals the Romans were able in 71 BC. e. defeat Spartacus. The commander of the rebels himself fell in the battle, but the fear that he instilled in the Romans during his lifetime did not disappear even after his death. The revolt of Spartacus echoed throughout the ancient world.

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Timeline 102 BC e. Beginning of military service as a soldier in auxiliary Thracian troops in the Roman province of Macedonia. 100 BC In connection with the resumption of the struggle of the Honeys against the Romans, he deserted from the Roman army with many other Thracians. 98 BC. e. after an unsuccessful two-year struggle with the Romans, he went with a detachment of like-minded people to Pontus to the king Mithridates as a political emigrant. 98–90. BC e. military service at Mithridates. 89 BC e. participates in the First Mithridates War and falls into captivity by the Romans. 89 BC. e. brought to Rome and sold in the slave market as a slave. Serves as a shepherd in southern Italy.

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Quotes “It is better to take extreme risks for the sake of freedom than to risk your life in the arena for the fun of the audience.” (Spartak) “... and gentleness of character who stood above his position and generally looked more like a Hellene than could be expected from a man of his tribe. "(Plutarch)" ... He rushed at Crassus himself; neither enemy weapons nor wounds could stop him ... Finally ... surrounded by enemies, he fell under their blows, not retreating a step and fighting to the end. ”(Plutarch)

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Timeline 87 BC e. during the siege of Rome by Mary and Cinna (Rome belongs to the supporters of Sulla) escapes from the cattle-breeding latifundia. 86–82. BC e. unknown pages of Spartak's life: it is possible that he was in the service of the Marian army and participated in the war against Sulla. By the verdict of the winner surrenders to gladiators. 82–76. BC e. is in a gladiatorial school, acts as a murmilon, achieves personal freedom, but does not leave school, trains gladiators as a teacher. 76 BC. e. begins to form a conspiracy of his own apprentices and gladiators of the Murmilon corporation to free slaves and gladiators. Lucius Cornelius Sulla

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About the uprising of Spartacus 74 BC BC, summer escapes with a handful of comrades to Vesuvius in connection with the discovery of a conspiracy. He is preparing for the spread of the great war throughout Italy. 73 BC. e., summer - autumn, the beginning of hostilities, a victory over a detachment of Roman troops who arrived from Capua, then over the armies of the praetors Clodius and P. Varinius. Death of Spartak's closest ally - Enomai. The establishment of a new order by the rebels in southern Italy and the destruction of Roman power here. 72 BC. e., summer campaign of the army of Spartacus to the north. The death of Crixus and his army in the battle with the praetor Arius and the consul Helius. Spartacus' victories over the armies of the consuls Gellius and Lentulus, as well as the governor of Cisalpine Gaul, the proconsul Cassius. The assassination of Sertorius in Spain by the conspirators, the complete victory of Pompey and Metellus. A sharp change in the military-political situation in the west and east (L. Lucullus inflicts heavy defeats on Mithridates and forces him to flee to Armenia). Spartacus changes the plan of action and tries to attack Rome. Deals crushing defeat to consular armies. The Senate appoints a new commander to fight the rebels - Praetor M. Crassus.

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The end of the uprising of Spartacus 72 BC e., August Spartacus again returns with an army to the south of Italy, intending to involve Sicily in the orbit of war. It is parked in the city of Furia and its surroundings. Fighting with varying success. 72 BC BC, September - December Spartacus withdraws his troops to the Regian Peninsula. active attempts by the rebels to invade Sicily with the help of landings. Crassus builds a fortified line "from sea to sea" with the intention of starving the enemy to death. 72 BC. BC, December return to Italy at the summons of the Senate of Pompey from Spain and Marcus Lucullus from Thrace. Pompey is appointed as the new commander-in-chief in the war with Spartacus. The rebels' army breaks through the fortified Crassus line. Fierce battles between the insurgent forces and the troops of Crassus. Death of Gannik, commander and companion of Spartacus. 71 BC e., early January Death of Castus, another commander of Spartacus. Rebel victories over Roman generals Arrius and Scrofa. The last battle of the army of Spartacus with the troops of Crassus. Death of Spartacus in battle.

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Quotes “Spartacus decided to take a risk and, since he had enough horsemen, rushed with the whole army through the trenches and fled towards Brundisium ... But when Spartacus learned that Lucullus was in Brundisium ... he moved to Crassus with his big one even then army. A tremendous battle took place, extremely fierce. Spartacus was wounded in the thigh by a spear; kneeling down and putting his shield forward, he fought off the attackers until he fell with a large number of those around him ... The body of Spartacus was not found. ”(Appian)

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After the defeat of Spartacus About 6 thousand rebellious slaves fled from Apulia after the defeat suffered in Northern Italy. But there they were met and destroyed by the Spanish legions of Gnaeus Pompey, who, no matter how in a hurry, but did not have time for the decisive battle. Therefore, all the laurels of the winner of Spartacus and salvation Ancient rome went to Mark Crassus. However, with the death of Spartacus and the defeat of his army, the uprising of slaves in Ancient Rome did not end. Scattered detachments of rebellious slaves, including those who fought under the banner of Spartacus himself, for several years still operated in a number of regions of Italy, mainly in its south and the Adriatic coast. The local Roman authorities had to make a lot of efforts to defeat them completely. The victorious treatment of the captured revolting slaves was brutal. Roman legionaries crucified 6 thousand captured Spartacists along the road leading from Rome to the city of Capua, where the gladiatorial school was located, within the walls of which Spartacus and his comrades conspired to free himself and many other slaves of Ancient Rome.

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The significance of the Spartacus uprising The Spartacus uprising deeply shook ancient Rome and its slave system. It went down in world history as the largest slave uprising of all time. This uprising hastened the transition of state power in Rome from the republican form of government to the imperial one. Created by Spartacus military organization turned out to be so strong that for a long time it could successfully withstand the elite Roman army. The image of Spartacus is widely reflected in the world fiction and art.

Yesterday we discussed the post with you. Collected material and constantly recalled the film "Spartacus: Blood and Sand". Starting to look for information about the real SPARTAK, I was surprised that the film was shot very close to the official version and historical facts... I will partially illustrate the post with frames from the film, tk. each frame can be hung on the wall as a painting. So what do we know ...

In 74 BC. e. in the Italian city of Capua, an event took place, which was not only to have a significant impact on the life of the Roman state in the next few years, but centuries later to acquire a completely new significance already outside its historical context. The uprising of Spartacus has long lost its exclusive belonging to history, like its leader, whose name has become in the minds of people a symbol of the liberation struggle. The historical existence of Spartacus is a paradox, akin to mysterious pictures, which must be looked at very closely in order to discern three-dimensional images in a motley jumble of geometric figures and the smallest repeating pictures.

The image of Spartacus that we have before our eyes today is in many ways the fruit of the efforts not of historians, but of writers, among whom, first of all, Rafaello Giovagnoli should be called. But it is worth abandoning the heroic brilliance with which the Garibaldian writer surrounded Spartacus, taking a closer look at the leader of the rebellious slaves, sooner or later you will achieve the same effect of a mysterious picture. It turns out that you either see nothing, or see something completely different from the initial impression.

The artistic image of Spartacus began its existence in revolutionary France. It is not known who was the first to "rediscover" the invincible slave leader after many years of oblivion, but agitated minds liked him. Gallic temperament literally lifted Spartacus to a pedestal. His name began to be mentioned only with the addition of the epithet “hero”. Here, of course, it was not without a fair amount of idealization, but we must pay tribute to Spartacus himself, the sources that have come down to us depict him as a noble and brave man. Even those Roman historians who were extremely hostile to the uprising in general and its participants, still recognized the personal qualities of Spartacus. Flor, emphasizing in every possible way his contempt and hatred for the rebellious slaves, was forced to declare that in his last battle "Spartacus, fighting bravely in the front row, was killed and died, as befits a great commander." And Plutarch, whose impartiality can be trusted, wrote: “Spartacus ... a man who was not only distinguished by outstanding courage and physical strength, but in intelligence and gentleness of character stood above his position and generally more like a Hellene than could be expected from a man of his tribe. "

Very little is known about the biography of Spartak. For example, the fact that Spartak came from Thrace (present-day Bulgaria) from the Med tribe. As specific location it is customary to indicate his birth as the city of Sandanski in the Rhodope Mountains, almost on the border with Yugoslavia. In the 1st century BC. e. the capital of the tribe, the city of Medon, was located there.

The Meds were a large and strong tribe, which also adopted many features of Greek culture. They traced their origin to the legendary Medea. Her son from the Athenian king Aegeus - Med was, according to legend, the first ruler of the meads.

Most likely, Spartak was born into an aristocratic family. This fact is indicated not only by his name, consonant with the generic name of the Bosporan royal family of the Spartokids, in him the charm of imperious power is most noticeable, inherent in humans accustomed to being at the top of the public pyramid. And the confidence with which Spartacus ruled his huge army may testify in favor of the assumption of his belonging to the nobility.

The Thracians were known as warlike people. They not only fought endless inter-tribal wars, but also supplied mercenaries to the armies of other states. For such peoples, a military career was usually considered the only worthy man, especially one belonging to a noble family. Spartak was no exception here. At the age of eighteen, he already served in the Roman army, in the auxiliary Thracian units. The Roman army at that time had no equal, and Spartacus had the opportunity to get acquainted with its organization, the practice of conducting military operations, strengths and weaknesses.

This experience was very useful to him later.

After several years of service, Spartacus deserts and returns to Thrace, where at this time the war against the Romans resumed. We practically do not know anything about the stages of his biography that followed this event. Ancient sources on this score are extremely scarce, and yet they allow us to draw one very important conclusion. Spartacus did not have to remain an idle spectator of a historical performance unfolding in the Mediterranean in the 1st century BC. e. In his nature there was a kind of adventurous beginning, which invariably carried him into the center of the turbulent events of that era, events, mainly military ones. Apparently, the life of a soldier, a mercenary was closer and more understandable for Spartacus than any other. It can be assumed that in addition to the Roman army, he also visited the army of the king of Pontus Mithridates, one of the most powerful and stubborn enemies of Rome.

Lentulus Batiatus

Spartacus knew all the changes in military happiness, twice found himself in Rome as a slave. For the first time, he managed to escape, and he may have joined one of the many robber bands operating in Italy at that turbulent time. The words of Flora seem to indicate this: “Spartacus, this soldier from the Thracian mercenaries, who became a deserter from a soldier, a robber from a deserter, and then physical strength- a gladiator. " After some time, Spartacus was captured a second time and was sold as a gladiator to the Capuan school of Lentula Batiatus.
Link to gladiators was a deferred option in the late Roman Republic. death penalty... Condemned criminals from slaves, the lowest, powerless and despised stratum of them, fought in the arenas. Volunteer gladiators appeared in Rome in later times. True, Plutarch argues that they did not get to the Batiatus school for crimes, but only because of the cruelty of their master. Basically, there were Gauls and Thracians, who were not without reason considered in Rome to be warlike and rebellious people.

It is possible that a certain percentage of them were prisoners of war, only recently parted with freedom, not used to slavery. In such conditions, only a leader was needed for a conspiracy and rebellion, and that was Spartak, this born leader and organizer, a brave and enterprising person by nature.

The conspiracy was revealed. Only quick and decisive actions could save its participants. Seventy-eight gladiators suddenly attacked the guards, broke down the school doors and escaped from the city, “stocking up on kitchen knives and spitters captured somewhere” (Plutarch's Comparative Biographies).

Spartacus led his small detachment to Mount Vesuvius (then it was believed that this volcano had long gone extinct). Its top was a natural fortification, in which it was possible to sit out for a while, until reinforcements - fugitive slaves from the nearest estates - were pulled up to the detachment. The size of the detachment, led by Spartak, really increased very quickly. This fact even allowed Valentin Leskov, the author of the book "Spartacus", published in the ZhZL series, to suggest the existence of a branched conspiracy structure, covering all gladiatorial schools and large slave farms in Capua and its environs.

On the way, Spartak's detachment came across a wagon train carrying weapons for gladiatorial schools. The rebels captured him. This solved the primary armament problem, a problem that plagued Spartak's army throughout the war. It is known that at the beginning of hostilities, instead of spears, the rebels were served by sharpened and burnt stakes, "which could cause damage almost the same as with iron." Sallust. Here is another quote from Flora: "They made unusual shields for themselves from rods and skins of animals, and from iron in slave workshops and prisons, having melted it down, they made swords and spears for themselves."

In the future, the army of Spartacus continued to produce weapons on their own, centrally purchasing iron and copper from merchants.

Having safely reached the summit of Vesuvius, the gladiators and the slaves who joined them began by choosing leaders or, which seems more correct, once again confirmed their readiness to carry out the orders of the people who were initially at the head of the conspiracy and uprising. In addition to Spartacus, they included the Germanic Enomai, the Gaul Crixus and the Samnite Gannicus. It can be assumed that this gathering was held on the initiative of Spartacus, who actually once again forced his associates to recognize themselves as a leader. Spartacus generally took the issue of one-man command very seriously, and subsequent events confirm this. Placed at the head of a motley congregation of different tribes, he did not allow the slightest hint of anarchy. Spartacus initially set out to create an army on the model of the Roman and preferred to rather lose part of his forces than to allow it to degenerate into an overgrown band of robbers.

The goals that he pursued in this case are still not clear. Numerous researchers of the Spartak War have put forward several hypotheses: from utopian plans to overthrow the power of Rome and the destruction of slavery, to a simple attempt to bring the detachments of former slaves to their homeland. All of these hypotheses are equally vulnerable. It has long been recognized as untenable Mishulin's theory of revolutionary movement slaves and the poorest of the free population of Italy. It is also hardly possible to talk about Spartacus waging a systematic war with Rome. In the occupied territories, the slave leader did not try to create his own state. All indications are that he really wanted to leave Italy. But at the same time, Spartacus is not limited to putting together a semblance of his people military units fit for breaking through the Roman barriers and appointed to be disbanded on the other side of the Alps. He forms a real army and does it very persistently.

Unlike Evna, the leader of the largest Sicilian slave uprising, Spartacus did not declare himself king and remained only a military leader, although he did not refuse, according to Florus, the praetor insignia.

For some time, Spartak's detachment did not move anywhere from their camp on Mount Vesuvius. The example of fugitive gladiators inspired slaves to revolt on nearby estates. 74 BC e. as well as the previous one, it was a poor harvest, which did not take long to affect the mood of rural slaves, who were already in very difficult living conditions without it. The authorities in Capua could not help reacting to the numerous, albeit relatively small, uprisings that threaten the tranquility of their province. But the detachments allocated to fight the fugitive slaves were regularly defeated by them. The increasingly tense situation around Capua has caused concern in Rome itself. Praetor Guy Claudius Pulcher arrived at the head of a three-thousandth detachment to restore order. His task seemed very simple. Spartacus on Vesuvius seemed to have caught himself in a trap. The only path leading to the top of the mountain, blocking which, Claudius could only wait until hunger forced the rebels to surrender. It is amazing what a seemingly elementary tactical miscalculation was made by Spartacus, a man who undoubtedly possessed the talents of a commander; some Roman historians even compared him in this regard with Hannibal himself. Valentin Leskov, however, believes that Spartak deliberately allowed himself to be besieged, waiting for his troops, scattered around the neighborhood. In this case, a simultaneous blow to the Romans from the top of the mountain and from the rear promised a sure victory.

It is not known how things were in reality, one thing is clear, Spartak did not think about surrender. In the established critical situation he fully showed himself as a cunning and stubborn person in achieving goals, qualities that were later demonstrated to him more than once. From the vines of wild grapes growing on the slopes of the mountain, the rebels weaved stairs and descended along them from a height of 300 meters to the nearest flat area. Going out then to the rear of Praetor Claudius, who did not expect such a turn of events at all, the gladiators utterly defeated him.
Now Spartak had the opportunity to start forming a real army, especially since he had no shortage of people. The successes of his detachment attracted many slaves to him, mostly shepherds, strong people accustomed to living in the open air. "Some of these shepherds became heavily armed warriors, from others the gladiators made up a detachment of scouts and lightly armed" (Plutarch's Comparative Biographies).

In addition to the luck of Spartacus, the spirit of justice, which was implanted in the detachment of the rebels, should have looked no less attractive in the eyes of the slaves. For example, Appian claims that "... Spartacus shared the booty equally with everyone ...".

The defeat of Claudius became known in Rome, and the praetor Publius Valerius Variny was next sent to the war with Spartacus. At first, he forced Spartacus to retreat south into the mountains. The leader of the rebels did not want to accept the battle on unfavorable terms for himself, since the number of his army was significantly inferior to the Roman one. He wanted to continue his retreat, to go to the rich southern provinces of Italy and only there, having replenished the ranks of his soldiers, to give the Romans a battle. Some of the commanders stood for Spartak's plan, but many demanded an immediate end to the retreat and attack the enemies. Disagreements almost caused civil strife among the rebellious slaves, but in the end Spartacus managed to persuade the most impatient. So far, it has not been difficult for him to do this. His entire army was still equal in size to a large detachment, and even the most intractable of its commanders understood that their only way to survive was to stick together.

Claudius Glavr

In Lucania, an army of rebels approached the small town of the Appian Forum and took it by storm. “Immediately, the runaway slaves, contrary to orders, began to seize and dishonor girls and women ... Others threw fire on the roofs of houses, and many of the local slaves, whose customs made them allies of the rebels, dragged the valuables hidden by the masters from their hiding places or even extracted the masters themselves. And there was nothing sacred and inviolable for the wrath of the barbarians and their servile nature. Spartacus, not being able to prevent this, although he repeatedly begged to leave their atrocities, decided to prevent them by speed of action ... ”(Sallust).

It is natural to assume that this excess was not the first in the entire Spartak war, but now the tendency of the army of slaves to instant decay has manifested itself especially sharply. This Spartacus was very afraid. He, of course, had no illusions about the consequences of taking over the city, but his army did not consist of sworn soldiers who could be called to discipline and returned to duty. The slaves who ended up in his army did not hide their indignation at the need to obey orders, obedience, from which they considered themselves once and for all got rid of. On the other hand, it was not possible to avoid robberies. Spartak's army had no economic base. She could maintain her existence only through the forcible confiscation of material values ​​and food. At the same time, Spartak, apparently, was trying to target not so much peasant settlements as large, rich slave farms, which were mainly concentrated in the south. Large estates served not only as sources of supplies, but also military force... The slaves who worked there willingly joined Spartacus.

Campaign of the army of Spartacus in Cisalpine Gaul (map from the "Ancient World" project)

Once in the Campania region adjacent to Lucania, Spartak quickly replenishes the ranks of his army and proceeds to equip it. Meanwhile, the praetor Varinius, moving behind Spartacus, divided his army into parts, one of which he led himself, the other two he entrusted to his officers: Fury and Cossinia. Spartacus, one after another, defeated these detachments and finally defeated Varinius himself. He gathered some reinforcements, again opposed Spartacus and was again defeated. As trophies, according to Plutarch,

Spartacus got the lictors (guard of honor) of the praetor and his horse. As a result of these victories, the south of Italy is completely in the hands of the rebels. But Spartak was not going to stay in Campania for a long time. His plans included, after replenishing supplies and increasing the number of his troops, to leave the Apennine Peninsula. Having devastated the southern regions of Italy, the army of the rebels begins to move towards the Alps.

Only now, every day receiving news of the plundered estates, the devastation of Nola, Nuceria, and Metapont, the destruction of the property of large landowners, the Senate fully realized the importance of the war with Spartacus. Both consuls of 72 BC were sent against him, as in a real big war. BC: Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodian and Lucius Gellius Poplicola.
Meanwhile, a split was ripening in the army of the rebels. Many people did not like the leader's decision to leave the rich provinces of Italy. In addition, the Gauls and the Germans, of whom the large divisions of the army of Spartacus consisted, it seemed offensive to begin a retreat after so many victories over the Romans. A detachment of thirty thousand people under the command of Crixus separated from the army of Spartacus, was overtaken by the consul Helly near Mount Gargan and destroyed. Crixus himself died in this battle. (Subsequently, Spartacus staged real gladiator fights in his memory, in which Roman prisoners fought instead of gladiators) Lentula, who pursued Spartacus, was less fortunate. The army of slaves utterly defeated his army, and then the army of Gellius, who arrived in time to help. Spartacus continued to quickly leave Italy and soon entered the territory of Cisalpine Gaul, “and Gaius Cassius Longinus Var, the governor of that part of Gaul that lies along the Padu River, came out to meet him at the head of an army of ten thousand. In the ensuing battle, the praetor was utterly defeated, suffered huge losses in people and himself barely escaped "(Plutarch's Comparative Biographies).

At this moment, the uprising reaches its climax. The number of Spartak's army reaches 120 thousand people (!) A free road to Transalpine Gaul is open in front of him, and yet Spartak suddenly turns back to Italy. Valentin Leskov explains this fact with the murder of Sertorius that followed just at that time, on interaction with which Spartacus counted for waging a systematic war with the Roman state.

The news that the army of the rebels was moving backwards caused a panic in Rome, which has not been known since the war with Hannibal. The general confusion was only intensified by the unsuccessful attempt of both consuls to stop Spartacus in Picena. Appian claims that Spartacus planned to strike at Rome itself and paints at the same time an eloquent picture of preparations for a forced throw: “He ordered to burn all the extra convoy, kill all the prisoners and cut the pack cattle in order to go light. Spartacus did not accept the deserters who came to him in great numbers. "

If until now the war with slaves was considered painful and ruinous, but not promising a great danger of misfortune, then in the face of these terrible events it became clear that Spartacus should be treated as the most terrible of all enemies of Rome. Pompey's supporters in the Senate demanded that his troops be immediately withdrawn from Spain and that this experienced and successful commander should be given full power in the war against the rebellious slaves. Such a danger, undoubtedly, should have been taken into account by Spartacus. Until now, he had to fight with a fairly numerous, but weak, hastily assembled troops of the Romans. Glabra and Varinius, according to Appian, "had an army, which consisted not of citizens, but of all sorts of random people, recruited hastily and in passing." The main armies of Rome were far from Italy: in Spain and Thrace, where the power of the Republic was threatened by Sertorius and Mithridates. In addition, the general discontent of the urban lower classes and the poorest peasants with the policy of the Senate, which was recognized by everyone and more than once expressed in the form of popular indignation, played into the hands of Spartak. The aristocracy and horsemen openly profited not only from the almost completely appropriated booty from the conquered countries, but also from grain speculation. The intensive process of seizure of land by large estates, accompanied by the ruin of small landowners, also caused intense tension. In such a situation, "the armed forces and detachments besieging the state are more numerous than those defending it, since you just nod to the impudent and lost people - and they have already started to move" (Cicero).

Expecting from day to day the appearance of an army of slaves at the walls of the city, in Rome, in great haste, an election was held for a new commander-in-chief. This post was easily obtained by Marcus Licinius Crassus, a rich and powerful man, a rival of Pompey in the struggle for influence in Rome. Crassus, who had large land holdings in southern Italy, suffered greatly from the protracted war and was interested in its early end. Among other things, Crassus wanted to at least partially catch up with Pompey in the glory of a commander. Even a war with rebellious slaves was suitable for this.

Crassus got down to business energetically. In Rome, an army of thirty thousand men was recruited. The officers were selected very carefully. Crassus had the opportunity to look for the people he needed, since as a result of his usurious activities many young aristocrats were completely dependent on him and could not refuse to accompany their creditor to the war.

Crassus led his army to join the troops of the consuls, who, after his arrival at the main camp, immediately returned to Rome. In the Roman army, in view of the continuous defeats that it suffered from Spartacus, the mood was depressing and even panic. Crassus considered it necessary, before opening hostilities, to teach his soldiers a cruel, but necessary lesson in the current situation. The reason for this was not long in coming. The commander of Crassus, Mummy, sent with two legions to watch over Spartacus without engaging in battle with him, violated the commander's order. In the ensuing battle, the Romans were defeated and were forced to flee to the camp where the main forces were stationed. Crassus ordered to select five hundred instigators of the flight and subjected them to decimation, in which from every ten, one person is chosen by lot to be executed. “So Crassus resumed the punishment of warriors, which had been used by the ancients and had not been used for a long time; this type of execution is fraught with shame and is accompanied by terrible and gloomy rituals that are performed in front of everyone ”(Plutarch.“ Comparative Biographies ”). This cool measure proved to be effective. Order was restored in the army.

And Spartak, meanwhile, had already “changed his decision to go to Rome. He considered himself not yet equal to the Romans, since his army was far from all in sufficient combat readiness: not a single Italian city joined the rebels; they were slaves, deserters and all kinds of rabble. "

Once again passing along the entire northern coast of Italy in the same way that he moved during the campaign to the Alps, Spartacus finally stopped in the city of Furia at the very southeastern tip of the Apennine Peninsula, occupying the city itself and the surrounding mountains. He tried by all means to maintain order in the army, which, in addition to irritation from long and fruitless campaigns, became another reason for disagreements between Spartak and his commanders. By this time, Spartacus forbade anyone from his army to have gold and silver. What amazement such a fact should have caused, if even Pliny the Elder, who lived a hundred years after the uprising, speaks of it as well-known.
The arrival of the new commander-in-chief in the army of the Romans and the revival of hostilities forced Spartacus to retreat to the sea itself.

He still has not abandoned his plan to leave Italy along with the entire army. Instead of Gaul, Sicily was chosen. This rich island had already twice become the scene of major uprisings (in 132 BC and 104 BC) Now the situation there was the most suitable, in the province, which for several years in a row was ravaged by the tyranny of the Roman governor Guy Verres. anti-Roman sentiments grew stronger.

And again, this quite reasonable intention of the leader was met with hostility by some of the rebels. A detachment of ten thousand people separated from the main army and set up a separate camp. Crassus attacked him and, destroying two-thirds, continued to pursue Spartacus, who, having reached the coast, negotiated with the Cilician pirates, hoping with their help to cross over to the island.
Crassus wrote to Rome. In connection with the impossibility of preventing Spartacus from crossing to Sicily and in view of the danger of a new outbreak of war, he demanded expanded powers for himself and even himself offered to recall Lucullus from Thrace and Pompey from Spain. The Senate agreed with Crassus's proposals. Pompey and Lucullus were ordered to return to Italy. But suddenly the situation changed in favor of Rome. Despite the preliminary agreement, the pirates for some reason considered it more profitable for themselves the promises they made to Spartak not to keep. Their ships left the strait.

The rebel army, pursued by Crassus, retreated to the southernmost tip of the Brutium region - Regia. The width of the strait between Italy and Sicily is minimal here. Spartacus, who was not so easy to force to abandon the decision once made, intended to make another attempt to get to Sicily, now on his own. The rebels tried to make rafts from logs and empty barrels, tying them with branches, but the oncoming storm scattered this makeshift fleet. It became clear that Spartak's army would have to stay in Italy and take the battle.

However, the Roman commander himself did not strive for this. Natural conditions The Regian peninsula, narrow and elongated in length, suggested an even simpler way out. Crassus led a 55 km long rampart across the entire isthmus, fortified with a moat and palisades. Again, as a few years ago, the Romans hoped that the rebel armies would have to surrender under the threat of starvation. Meanwhile, the situation in Rome is undergoing fundamental changes. Irritated by the lack of quick and decisive success in the war with Spartacus, the Senate decides to transfer all power over the army to Pompey, who returned from Spain. Crassus had to act very quickly, otherwise, instead of the glory of the winner, he would gain fame as a failure.

Aware of this, Spartacus tried to enter into peace negotiations with the Romans, in the hope that Crassus, not wanting to allow Pompey's participation in the war, would show compliance. But the Roman commander did not even think to respond to the proposals of his enemy, Spartacus had no choice but to storm the fortifications of Crassus. On a rainy night, his troops, having blocked the moat with fascines, overturned the guard detachments of the Romans and broke free. Crassus rushed after Spartacus, moving to Brundisium, in whose army one split follows another. The war is clearly drawing to a close, unhappy for Spartacus, and the situation in his camp is getting more and more tense. A large detachment under the command of Gannicus and Castus separated from the main forces and was destroyed by Crassus. "Having put in place twelve thousand three hundred enemies, he found among them only two, wounded in the back, all the rest fell, remaining in the ranks and fighting against the Romans" (Plutarch "Comparative Biographies").

“Spartacus, who was retreating after this defeat to the Petelia mountains, was followed on the heels of Quintus, one of Crassus's legates, and the quaestor Scrofa. But when Spartacus turned against the Romans, they fled without looking back and barely escaped, with great difficulty carrying the wounded quaestor out of the battle. This success ruined Spartacus, turning the heads of the fugitive slaves. Now they didn’t want to hear about retreat and not only refused to obey their commanders, but, having surrounded them on the way, with weapons in hand, forced to lead the army back through Lucania to the Romans ”(Plutarch“ Comparative Biographies ”).

In addition to this circumstance, the retreat of Spartacus from the coast was caused by the news of the landing of the army of Lucullus in Brundisium. The leader of the rebellious slaves understood that a decisive battle could not be avoided. It is not known how he at the same time assessed his chances of success even in the event of a victory over Crassus's army. The Roman commander himself was extremely necessary to give Spartacus a battle as soon as possible. In Rome, it was already decided to appoint Pompey to the post of commander-in-chief. His army was moving at an accelerated march to the place of hostilities.

The troops of the Romans overtook the army of Spartacus, when it had not yet managed to move far from Brundisium. “Crassus, wishing to fight the enemies as soon as possible, settled down next to them and began to dig a ditch. While his men were busy with this business, the slaves harassed them with their raids. From both sides, more and more reinforcements began to approach, and Spartacus was finally put in the need to line up his entire army "(Plutarch" Comparative Biographies ").

The final battle ensued, extremely bloody and fierce "due to the despair that gripped such a large number of people "(Appian).

The last battle of Spartacus (fresco from the house of Felix)

The leader of the rebels, trying to get through to Crassus on horseback, was wounded in the thigh by a spear by a Campanian aristocrat named Felix. Felix subsequently decorated his home with a fresco depicting the event. Having received a severe wound, Spartak was forced to dismount, but continued to fight, although he had to go down on one knee from loss of blood. In a fierce battle, he was killed. His body was subsequently not found on the battlefield. In the evening, Pompey's troops arrived at the scene of the battle and completed the rout of the rebels. Some of their detachments that survived this last fight, continued to disturb the south of Italy for some time, but, in general, the war was over. Crassus received a foot triumph for the victory, the so-called standing ovation, although even he "was considered inappropriate and degrading to the dignity of this honorable distinction" (Plutarch's Comparative Biographies).

Six thousand slaves from the army of Spartacus, who were captured, were crucified on crosses along the Appian Way from Capua to Rome.

The Spartacus war had practically no effect on the further history of Rome. In it, as in any rebellion, there was an irrational, spontaneous moment. The uprising of Spartacus broke out in troubled years for Italy, when, on the eve of the era of great changes, all strata of society began to move. In its time, it reached its highest point, thrilled Italy with the power of its destructive power, and in its own time suffered an inevitable collapse. And yet, among the bright and strong personalities, leaders and leaders of that time: Caesar, Sulla, Cicero, Catiline, decisive and violent, desperate fighters and no less desperate conservatives, the "great general of slave war", the man about whom it is said that the leader who raises slaves to the battle for freedom is the protector of all the powerless and oppressed.

Monument to Spartacus in Bulgaria

Andy Whitfield is an Australian actor as Spartacus in the first part. After watching the film, everyone was so used to him, he perfectly got used to the role. We were looking forward to the second part with impatience.

Literally right after the dizzying success in the TV series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand", it was announced that the actor was sick with lymph cancer. But the disease was only in the first stage, the actor strenuously engaged in treatment and said that he might be filming in the second season of the series. The directors, expecting the actor's recovery, began filming the prequel "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena". However, after some time, a relapse followed, and Andy decided to leave the series. He chose the actor for his role in the third and fourth parts himself. The disease literally burned him down, in about a year and a half. He died on September 11, 2011. He was 39 years old. Here is the story of Spartacus and the story of an actor who has dedicated himself to this role. Everything is intertwined, everything is confused.

a source
http://www.vivl.ru/ -Elena Velyukhanova

The original article is on the site InfoGlaz.rf The link to the article this copy was made from is

In 74 BC. e. in the Italian city of Capua, an event took place, which was not only to have a significant impact on the life of the Roman state in the next few years, but centuries later to acquire a completely new significance already outside its historical context. The uprising of Spartacus has long lost its exclusive belonging to history, like its leader, whose name has become in the minds of people a symbol of the liberation struggle. The historical existence of Spartacus is a paradox, akin to mysterious pictures, which must be looked at very closely in order to discern three-dimensional images in a motley jumble of geometric figures and the smallest repeating pictures.
The image of Spartacus that we have before our eyes today is in many ways the fruit of the efforts not of historians, but of writers, among whom, first of all, Rafaello Giovagnoli should be called. But it is worth abandoning the heroic brilliance with which the Garibaldian writer surrounded Spartacus, taking a closer look at the leader of the rebellious slaves, sooner or later you will achieve the same effect of a mysterious picture. It turns out that you either see nothing, or see something completely different from the initial impression.
The artistic image of Spartacus began its existence in revolutionary France. It is not known who was the first to "rediscover" the invincible slave leader after years of oblivion, but agitated minds liked him. Gallic temperament literally lifted Spartacus to a pedestal. His name began to be mentioned only with the addition of the epithet "hero". Here, of course, it was not without a fair amount of idealization, but we must pay tribute to Spartacus himself, the sources that have come down to us depict him as a noble and brave man. Even those Roman historians who were extremely hostile to the uprising in general and its participants, still recognized the personal qualities of Spartacus. Flor, emphasizing in every possible way his contempt and hatred for the rebellious slaves, was forced to declare that in his last battle "Spartacus, fighting bravely in the front row, was killed and died, as would be the case for a great commander." And Plutarch, whose impartiality can be trusted, wrote: "Spartacus ... a man who was not only distinguished by outstanding courage and physical strength, but in intelligence and gentleness of character stood above his position and generally more like a Hellene than could be expected from his man tribe. "
Very little is known about the biography of Spartak. For example, the fact that Spartak came from Thrace (present-day Bulgaria) from the Med tribe. As a specific place of his birth, it is customary to indicate the city of Sandanski in the Rhodope Mountains, almost on the border with Yugoslavia. In the 1st century BC. e. the capital of the tribe, the city of Medon, was located there.
The Meds were a large and strong tribe, which also adopted many features of Greek culture. They traced their origin to the legendary Medea. Her son from the Athenian king Aegeus - Med was, according to legend, the first ruler of the meads.
Most likely, Spartak was born into an aristocratic family. This fact is indicated not only by his name, which is consonant with the generic name of the Bosporan royal family of the Spartokids, but the charm of power inherent in people who are accustomed to being at the top of the social pyramid is most noticeable in him. And the confidence with which Spartacus ruled his huge army may testify in favor of the assumption of his belonging to the nobility.
The Thracians were known as warlike people. They not only fought endless inter-tribal wars, but also supplied mercenaries to the armies of other states. For such peoples, a military career was usually considered the only worthy man, especially one belonging to a noble family. Spartak was no exception here. At the age of eighteen, he already served in the Roman army, in the auxiliary Thracian units. The Roman army at that time had no equal, and Spartacus had the opportunity to get acquainted with its organization, the practice of conducting military operations, strengths and weaknesses.

This experience was very useful to him later.
After several years of service, Spartacus deserts and returns to Thrace, where at this time the war against the Romans resumed. We practically do not know anything about the stages of his biography that followed this event. Ancient sources on this score are extremely scarce, and yet they allow us to draw one very important conclusion. Spartacus did not have to remain an idle spectator of a historical performance unfolding in the Mediterranean in the 1st century BC. e. In his nature there was a kind of adventurous beginning, which invariably carried him into the center of the turbulent events of that era, events, mainly military ones. Apparently, the life of a soldier, a mercenary was closer and more understandable for Spartacus than any other. It can be assumed that in addition to the Roman army, he also visited the army of the king of Pontus Mithridates, one of the most powerful and stubborn enemies of Rome.
Spartacus knew all the changes in military happiness, twice found himself in Rome as a slave. For the first time, he managed to escape, and he may have joined one of the many robber bands operating in Italy at that turbulent time. The words of Flora seem to indicate this: "Spartacus, this soldier from the Thracian mercenaries, who became a deserter from a soldier, a robber from a deserter, and then a gladiator for reverence for his physical strength." After some time, Spartacus was captured a second time and was sold as a gladiator to the Capuan school of Lentula Batiatus.
The exile as gladiators was a deferred variant of the death penalty in the late Roman Republic. Condemned criminals from slaves, the lowest, powerless and despised stratum of them, fought in the arenas. Volunteer gladiators appeared in Rome in later times. True, Plutarch argues that they did not get to the Batiatus school for crimes, but only because of the cruelty of their master. Basically, there were Gauls and Thracians, who were not without reason considered in Rome to be warlike and rebellious people. It is possible that a certain percentage of them were prisoners of war, only recently parted with freedom, not used to slavery. In such conditions, only a leader was needed for a conspiracy and rebellion, and that was Spartak, this born leader and organizer, a brave and enterprising person by nature.
The conspiracy was revealed. Only quick and decisive actions could save its participants. Seventy-eight gladiators suddenly attacked the guards, broke down the school doors and escaped from the city, “stocking up on kitchen knives and spitters captured somewhere” (Plutarch's Comparative Biographies).
Spartacus led his small detachment to Mount Vesuvius (then it was believed that this volcano had long gone extinct). Its top was a natural fortification, in which one could sit out for a while, until reinforcements - fugitive slaves from the nearest estates - were pulled up to the detachment. The size of the detachment, led by Spartak, really increased very quickly. This fact even allowed Valentin Leskov, the author of the book "Spartacus", published in the ZhZL series, to suggest the existence of a ramified conspiracy structure covering all gladiatorial schools and large slave farms in Capua and its environs.
On the way, Spartak's detachment came across a wagon train carrying weapons for gladiatorial schools. The rebels captured him. This solved the primary armament problem, a problem that plagued Spartak's army throughout the war. It is known that at the beginning of hostilities, instead of spears, the rebels were served by sharpened and burnt stakes, "which could cause damage almost the same as with iron." Sallust. Here is another quote from Flora: "They made unusual shields for themselves from rods and skins of animals, and from iron in slave workshops and prisons, having melted it down, they made swords and spears for themselves." In the future, the army of Spartacus continued to produce weapons on its own, centrally purchasing iron and copper from merchants.
Having safely reached the summit of Vesuvius, the gladiators and the slaves who joined them began by choosing leaders or, which seems more correct, once again confirmed their readiness to carry out the orders of the people who were initially at the head of the conspiracy and uprising. In addition to Spartacus, they included the Germanic Enomai, the Gaul Crixus and the Samnite Gannicus. It can be assumed that this gathering was held on the initiative of Spartacus, who actually once again forced his associates to recognize themselves as a leader. Spartacus generally took the issue of one-man command very seriously, and subsequent events confirm this. Placed at the head of a motley congregation of different tribes, he did not allow the slightest hint of anarchy. Spartacus initially set out to create an army on the model of the Roman and preferred to rather lose part of his forces than to allow it to degenerate into an overgrown band of robbers.
The goals that he pursued in this case are still not clear. Numerous researchers of the Spartak War have put forward several hypotheses: from utopian plans to overthrow the power of Rome and the destruction of slavery, to a simple attempt to bring the detachments of former slaves to their homeland. All of these hypotheses are equally vulnerable. Mishulin's theory about the revolutionary movement of slaves and the poorest strata of the free population of Italy has long been recognized as untenable. It is also hardly possible to talk about Spartacus waging a systematic war with Rome. In the occupied territories, the slave leader did not try to create his own state. All indications are that he really wanted to leave Italy. But at the same time, Spartacus is not limited to putting together from his people a semblance of military units suitable for breaking through the Roman barriers and appointed to be disbanded on the other side of the Alps. He forms a real army and does it very persistently. Unlike Evna, the leader of the largest Sicilian slave uprising, Spartacus did not declare himself king and remained only a military leader, although he did not refuse, according to Florus, the praetor insignia.
For some time, Spartak's detachment did not move anywhere from their camp on Mount Vesuvius. The example of fugitive gladiators inspired slaves to revolt on nearby estates. 74 BC e. as well as the previous one, it was a poor harvest, which did not take long to affect the mood of rural slaves, who were already in very difficult living conditions without it. The authorities in Capua could not help reacting to the numerous, albeit relatively small, uprisings that threaten the tranquility of their province. But the detachments allocated to fight the fugitive slaves were regularly defeated by them. The increasingly tense situation around Capua has caused concern in Rome itself. Praetor Guy Claudius Pulcher arrived at the head of a three-thousandth detachment to restore order. His task seemed very simple. Spartacus on Vesuvius seemed to have caught himself in a trap. The only path leading to the top of the mountain, blocking which, Claudius could only wait until hunger forced the rebels to surrender. It is amazing what a seemingly elementary tactical miscalculation was made by Spartacus, a man who undoubtedly possessed the talents of a commander; some Roman historians even compared him in this regard with Hannibal himself. Valentin Leskov, however, believes that Spartak deliberately allowed himself to be besieged, waiting for his troops, scattered around the neighborhood. In this case, a simultaneous blow to the Romans from the top of the mountain and from the rear promised a sure victory.
It is not known how things were in reality, one thing is clear, Spartak did not think about surrender. In this critical situation, he fully showed himself as a cunning and stubborn person in achieving goals, qualities that were demonstrated to him more than once later. From the vines of wild grapes growing on the slopes of the mountain, the rebels weaved stairs and descended along them from a height of 300 meters to the nearest flat area. Going out then to the rear of Praetor Claudius, who did not expect such a turn of events at all, the gladiators utterly defeated him.
Now Spartak had the opportunity to start forming a real army, especially since he had no shortage of people. The successes of his detachment attracted many slaves to him, mostly shepherds, strong people accustomed to living in the open air. "Some of these shepherds became heavily armed warriors, from others the gladiators formed a detachment of scouts and lightly armed" (Plutarch's Comparative Biographies). In addition to the luck of Spartacus, the spirit of justice, which was implanted in the detachment of the rebels, should have looked no less attractive in the eyes of the slaves. For example, Appian claims that "... Spartacus shared the spoils equally with everyone ...".
The defeat of Claudius became known in Rome, and the praetor Publius Valerius Variny was next sent to the war with Spartacus. At first, he forced Spartacus to retreat south into the mountains. The leader of the rebels did not want to accept the battle on unfavorable terms for himself, since the number of his army was significantly inferior to the Roman one. He wanted to continue his retreat, to go to the rich southern provinces of Italy and only there, having replenished the ranks of his soldiers, to give the Romans a battle. Some of the commanders stood for Spartak's plan, but many demanded an immediate end to the retreat and attack the enemies. Disagreements almost caused civil strife among the rebellious slaves, but in the end Spartacus managed to persuade the most impatient. So far, it has not been difficult for him to do this. His entire army was still equal in size to a large detachment, and even the most intractable of its commanders understood that their only way to survive was to stick together.
In Lucania, an army of rebels approached the small town of the Appian Forum and took it by storm. "Immediately, the runaway slaves, contrary to orders, began to seize and dishonor the girls and women ... Others threw fire on the roofs of houses, and many of the local slaves, whose customs made them allies of the rebels, dragged the valuables hidden by the masters from their hiding places or even extracted the masters themselves. there was nothing sacred and inviolable for the wrath of the barbarians and their slavish nature. Spartacus, not being able to prevent this, although he repeatedly begged to leave their atrocities, decided to prevent them by speed of action ... "(Sallust).
It is natural to assume that this excess was not the first in the entire Spartak war, but now the tendency of the army of slaves to instant decay has manifested itself especially sharply. This Spartacus was very afraid. He, of course, had no illusions about the consequences of taking over the city, but his army did not consist of sworn soldiers who could be called to discipline and returned to duty. The slaves who ended up in his army did not hide their indignation at the need to obey orders, obedience, from which they considered themselves once and for all got rid of. On the other hand, it was not possible to avoid robberies. Spartak's army had no economic base. She could maintain her existence only through the forcible confiscation of material values ​​and food. At the same time, Spartak, apparently, was trying to target not so much peasant settlements as large, rich slave farms, which were mainly concentrated in the south. Large estates served as sources of not only supplies, but also military strength. The slaves who worked there willingly joined Spartacus.
Once in the Campania region adjacent to Lucania, Spartak quickly replenishes the ranks of his army and proceeds to equip it. Meanwhile, the praetor Varinius, moving behind Spartacus, divided his army into parts, one of which he led himself, the other two he entrusted to his officers: Fury and Cossinia. Spartacus, one after another, defeated these detachments and finally defeated Varinius himself. He gathered some reinforcements, again opposed Spartacus and was again defeated. As trophies, according to Plutarch, Spartacus got the lictors (guard of honor) of the praetor and his horse.
As a result of these victories, the south of Italy is completely in the hands of the rebels. But Spartak was not going to stay in Campania for a long time. His plans included, after replenishing supplies and increasing the number of his troops, to leave the Apennine Peninsula. Having devastated the southern regions of Italy, the army of the rebels begins to move towards the Alps.
Only now, every day receiving news of the plundered estates, the devastation of Nola, Nuceria, and Metapont, the destruction of the property of large landowners, the Senate fully realized the importance of the war with Spartacus. Both consuls of 72 BC were sent against him, as in a real big war. BC: Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodian and Lucius Gellius Poplicola.
Meanwhile, a split was ripening in the army of the rebels. Many people did not like the leader's decision to leave the rich provinces of Italy. In addition, the Gauls and the Germans, of whom the large divisions of the army of Spartacus consisted, it seemed offensive to begin a retreat after so many victories over the Romans. A detachment of thirty thousand people under the command of Crixus separated from the army of Spartacus, was overtaken by the consul Helly near Mount Gargan and destroyed. Crixus himself died in this battle. (Subsequently, Spartacus staged real gladiator fights in his memory, in which Roman prisoners fought instead of gladiators) Lentula, who pursued Spartacus, was less fortunate. The army of slaves utterly defeated his army, and then the army of Gellius, who arrived in time to help. Spartacus continued to quickly leave Italy and soon entered the territory of Cisalpine Gaul, "and Gaius Cassius Longinus Varus, the governor of that part of Gaul that lies on the Padu River, came out to meet him at the head of a ten-thousandth army. In the ensuing battle, the praetor was completely defeated and suffered huge losses. in people and himself barely escaped "(Plutarch" Comparative Biographies ").
At this moment, the uprising reaches its climax. The number of Spartak's army reaches 120 thousand people (!) A free road to Transalpine Gaul is open in front of him, and yet Spartak suddenly turns back to Italy. Valentin Leskov explains this fact with the murder of Sertorius that followed just at that time, on interaction with which Spartacus counted for waging a systematic war with the Roman state.
The news that the army of the rebels was moving backwards caused a panic in Rome, which has not been known since the war with Hannibal. The general confusion was only intensified by the unsuccessful attempt of both consuls to stop Spartacus in Picena. Appian claims that Spartacus planned to strike at Rome itself and paints at the same time an eloquent picture of the preparation for a forced throw: “He ordered to burn all the extra convoy, kill all the prisoners and cut the pack cattle so that they could go light. Spartacus did not accept. "
If until now the war with slaves was considered painful and ruinous, but not promising a great danger of misfortune, then in the face of these terrible events it became clear that Spartacus should be treated as the most terrible of all enemies of Rome. Pompey's supporters in the Senate demanded that his troops be immediately withdrawn from Spain and that this experienced and successful commander should be given full power in the war against the rebellious slaves. Such a danger, undoubtedly, should have been taken into account by Spartacus. Until now, he had to fight with a fairly numerous, but weak, hastily assembled troops of the Romans. Glabra and Varinius, according to Appian, "had an army that consisted not of citizens, but of all sorts of random people, recruited hastily and in passing." The main armies of Rome were far from Italy: in Spain and Thrace, where the power of the Republic was threatened by Sertorius and Mithridates. In addition, the general discontent of the urban lower classes and the poorest peasants with the policy of the Senate, which was recognized by everyone and more than once expressed in the form of popular indignation, played into the hands of Spartak. The aristocracy and horsemen openly profited not only from the almost completely appropriated booty from the conquered countries, but also from grain speculation. The intensive process of seizure of land by large estates, accompanied by the ruin of small landowners, also caused intense tension. In such a situation, "the armed forces and detachments besieging the state are more numerous than those defending it, since you just nod to the impudent and lost people - and they have already begun to move" (Cicero).
Expecting from day to day the appearance of an army of slaves at the walls of the city, in Rome, in great haste, an election was held for a new commander-in-chief. This post was easily obtained by Marcus Licinius Crassus, a rich and powerful man, a rival of Pompey in the struggle for influence in Rome. Crassus, who had large land holdings in southern Italy, suffered greatly from the protracted war and was interested in its early end. Among other things, Crassus wanted to at least partially catch up with Pompey in the glory of a commander. Even a war with rebellious slaves was suitable for this.
Crassus got down to business energetically. In Rome, an army of thirty thousand men was recruited. The officers were selected very carefully. Crassus had the opportunity to look for the people he needed, since as a result of his usurious activities, many young aristocrats were completely dependent on him and could not refuse to accompany their creditor to the war.
Crassus led his army to join the troops of the consuls, who, after his arrival at the main camp, immediately returned to Rome. In the Roman army, in view of the continuous defeats that it suffered from Spartacus, the mood was depressing and even panic. Crassus considered it necessary, before opening hostilities, to teach his soldiers a cruel, but necessary lesson in the current situation. The reason for this was not long in coming. The commander of Crassus, Mummy, sent with two legions to watch over Spartacus without engaging in battle with him, violated the commander's order. In the ensuing battle, the Romans were defeated and were forced to flee to the camp where the main forces were stationed. Crassus ordered to select five hundred instigators of the flight and subjected them to decimation, in which from every ten, one person is chosen by lot to be executed. "So Crassus resumed the punishment of warriors, which was used by the ancients and has not been used for a long time; this type of execution is associated with shame and is accompanied by terrible and gloomy rituals that are performed in front of everyone" (Plutarch. "Comparative Biographies"). This cool measure proved to be effective. Order was restored in the army.
And Spartacus, in the meantime, had already "changed his decision to go to Rome. He considered himself not yet equivalent to the Romans, since his army was far from being in sufficient combat readiness: not a single Italian city joined the rebels; these were slaves, deserters and every rabble ".
Once again passing along the entire northern coast of Italy in the same way that he moved during the campaign to the Alps, Spartacus finally stopped in the city of Furia at the very southeastern tip of the Apennine Peninsula, occupying the city itself and the surrounding mountains. He tried by all means to maintain order in the army, which, in addition to irritation from long and fruitless campaigns, became another reason for disagreements between Spartak and his commanders. By this time, Spartacus forbade anyone from his army to have gold and silver. What amazement such a fact should have caused, if even Pliny the Elder, who lived a hundred years after the uprising, speaks of it as well-known.
The arrival of the new commander-in-chief in the army of the Romans and the revival of hostilities forced Spartacus to retreat to the sea itself. He still has not abandoned his plan to leave Italy along with the entire army. Instead of Gaul, Sicily was chosen. This rich island had already twice become the scene of major uprisings (in 132 BC and 104 BC) Now the situation there was the most suitable, in the province, which for several years in a row was ravaged by the tyranny of the Roman governor Guy Verres. anti-Roman sentiments grew stronger.
And again, this quite reasonable intention of the leader was met with hostility by some of the rebels. A detachment of ten thousand people separated from the main army and set up a separate camp. Crassus attacked him and, destroying two-thirds, continued to pursue Spartacus, who, having reached the coast, negotiated with the Cilician pirates, hoping with their help to cross over to the island.
Crassus wrote to Rome. In connection with the impossibility of preventing Spartacus from crossing to Sicily and in view of the danger of a new outbreak of war, he demanded expanded powers for himself and even himself offered to recall Lucullus from Thrace and Pompey from Spain. The Senate agreed with Crassus's proposals. Pompey and Lucullus were ordered to return to Italy. But suddenly the situation changed in favor of Rome. Despite the preliminary agreement, the pirates for some reason considered it more profitable for themselves the promises they made to Spartak not to keep. Their ships left the strait.
The rebel army, pursued by Crassus, retreated to the southernmost tip of the Brutium region - Regia. The width of the strait between Italy and Sicily is minimal here. Spartacus, who was not so easy to force to abandon the decision once made, intended to make another attempt to get to Sicily, now on his own. The rebels tried to make rafts from logs and empty barrels, tying them with branches, but the oncoming storm scattered this makeshift fleet. It became clear that Spartak's army would have to stay in Italy and take the battle.
However, the Roman commander himself did not strive for this. The natural conditions of the Regian Peninsula, narrow and elongated in length, suggested an even simpler way out. Crassus led a 55 km long rampart across the entire isthmus, fortified with a moat and palisades. Again, as a few years ago, the Romans hoped that the rebel armies would have to surrender under the threat of starvation. Meanwhile, the situation in Rome is undergoing fundamental changes. Irritated by the lack of quick and decisive success in the war with Spartacus, the Senate decides to transfer all power over the army to Pompey, who returned from Spain. Crassus had to act very quickly, otherwise, instead of the glory of the winner, he would gain fame as a failure.
Aware of this, Spartacus tried to enter into peace negotiations with the Romans, in the hope that Crassus, not wanting to allow Pompey's participation in the war, would show compliance. But the Roman commander did not even think to respond to the proposals of his enemy, Spartacus had no choice but to storm the fortifications of Crassus. On a rainy night, his troops, having blocked the moat with fascines, overturned the guard detachments of the Romans and broke free. Crassus rushed after Spartacus, moving to Brundisium, in whose army one split follows another. The war is clearly drawing to a close, unhappy for Spartacus, and the situation in his camp is getting more and more tense. A large detachment under the command of Gannicus and Castus separated from the main forces and was destroyed by Crassus. "Putting in place twelve thousand three hundred enemies, he found among them only two, wounded in the back, all the rest fell, remaining in the ranks and fighting against the Romans" (Plutarch "Comparative Biographies").
"For Spartacus, who was retreating after this defeat to the Petelia mountains, followed on the heels of Quintus, one of Crassus's legates, and the quaestor Scrofa. But when Spartacus turned against the Romans, they fled without looking back and barely escaped, with great difficulty carrying the wounded quaestor out of the battle. This success ruined Spartacus, turning the heads of the fugitive slaves. Now they did not want to hear about retreat and not only refused to obey their commanders, but, having surrounded them on the way, with arms in hand, forced to lead the army back through Lucania to the Romans "(Plutarch "Comparative Biographies").
In addition to this circumstance, the retreat of Spartacus from the coast was caused by the news of the landing of the army of Lucullus in Brundisium. The leader of the rebellious slaves understood that a decisive battle could not be avoided. It is not known how he at the same time assessed his chances of success even in the event of a victory over Crassus's army. The Roman commander himself was extremely necessary to give Spartacus a battle as soon as possible. In Rome, it was already decided to appoint Pompey to the post of commander-in-chief. His army was moving at an accelerated march to the place of hostilities.
The troops of the Romans overtook the army of Spartacus, when it had not yet managed to move far from Brundisium. “Crassus, wishing to fight the enemies as soon as possible, settled down next to them and began to dig a ditch. While his people were busy with this business, the slaves disturbed them with their raids. finally, put in the need to build up his entire army "(Plutarch" Comparative Biographies ").
The final battle ensued, extremely bloody and fierce "owing to the despair that gripped such a large number of people" (Appian). The leader of the rebels, trying to get through to Crassus on horseback, was wounded in the thigh by a spear by a Campanian aristocrat named Felix. Felix subsequently decorated his home with a fresco depicting the event. Having received a severe wound, Spartak was forced to dismount, but continued to fight, although he had to go down on one knee from loss of blood. In a fierce battle, he was killed. His body was subsequently not found on the battlefield. In the evening, Pompey's troops arrived at the scene of the battle and completed the rout of the rebels. Some of their detachments, who survived this last battle, continued to harass the south of Italy for some time, but, in general, the war was over. Crassus received a foot triumph for the victory, the so-called standing ovation, although even he "was considered inappropriate and degrading to the dignity of this honorable distinction" (Plutarch's Comparative Biographies).
Six thousand slaves from the army of Spartacus, who were captured, were crucified on crosses along the Appian Way from Capua to Rome.
The Spartacus war had practically no effect on the further history of Rome. In it, as in any rebellion, there was an irrational, spontaneous moment. The uprising of Spartacus broke out in troubled years for Italy, when, on the eve of the era of great changes, all strata of society began to move. In its time, it reached its highest point, thrilled Italy with the power of its destructive power, and in its own time suffered an inevitable collapse. And yet, among the bright and strong personalities, leaders and leaders of that time: Caesar, Sulla, Cicero, Catiline, decisive and violent, desperate fighters and no less desperate conservatives, the "great general of slave war", the man about whom it is said that the leader who raises slaves to the battle for freedom is the protector of all the powerless and oppressed.

Material specially for the project is kindly provided

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