Spartacus: Part 1 - Rebellion

Spartacus is one of those names that's immediately associated with rebellion, much like Che Guevara. Only the latter, however, has his face plastered on t-shirts worn by people who don't really know who he is or what he's done. Not that I do... but at least my shirts are just H&M sale section garbage and therefore only carry the political stance of "I'm cheap".

I first got involved in the whole story of Spartacus from the Starz television series of the same name in which his story is filled with all the blood, gore, and almost-but-not-quite pornographic scenes that testosterone fueled T.V. has come to thrive on (oh what a glorious age we live in!) I quite enjoyed the show in all its 300 rip-off splendor, but I wondered just how close to the true history it was. Queue "Spartacus" by Aldo Schiavone; a book about a topic I'm interested in and a page length that suits my short attention span (thank you for keeping it under 200 pages, Schiavone). 

Now. some background.

A gladius, the weapon which spawned the word "gladiator".
In modern times, the company "Glad" was named after
 the weapon for the spikey things they have on their
 cling wrap packaging to cut the plastic. Both should
be used with caution around unprotected fingers.

The Roman Empire during the time of Spartacus was growing in power due to the constant warfare, hostile takeovers and general disregard for human life that so embodied their culture - a cornerstone of proper imperialists. Gladiatorial combat came to prominence largely due to this lifestyle; the Romans would storm into Gaul, Thrace, and otherwise, enslave them, and use the prisoners of war to fight it out for the amusement of the general populace. Picking strong slaves was a lucrative business - gladiators victorious in the arena could pull in some serious coin for their owners. It also served the purpose of showing that if slaves could face pain and death with all the bravery of Hercules (not that Greek wuss, Heracles), then for a Roman it should be a paltry task. That, and the Romans were quite simply a fan of mixing violence and sport. I can't fault 'em for that one. 

Spartacus didn't have the clear-cut upbringing of a simple slave, however. It's decidedly more complicated, and the nature of ancient history such as it is, rarely entirely certain with numerous conflicting accounts. What seems likely at the basest level was that Spartacus was actually a soldier in the Roman army. He was a Thracian, and Thrace was a tributary of Rome, and thus had many of their soldiers in their employ - our would-be revolutionary being one of them. Known for being intelligent and courageous beyond his status as a non-Roman, being a member of the cavalry (likely) which was a relatively highly ranked and respected position, and having a female companion that was likely a priestess, Spartacus was well on his way to being commander material. This allowed him to see the Roman military tactics, military technology, and general goings-on of the soldiers, doubtlessly giving him plenty of useful information to use in the days ahead. The Romans learned their command tactics through experience and observation, so in many ways Spartacus wouldn't have been too far behind from their chosen battle commanders. 

Spartacus had a propensity to ponder in the
nude, and was thus immortalized in a
statue doing so.

So what we have here is a man who, for a foreigner, was of a high station, a powerful fighter rising in the military ranks, and having a priestess companion that symbolizes his high social status (who in the T.V. show was a total babe, so add that to the mix). But then he suddenly deserted, at least suddenly in terms of the recorded history of it. Take this all with a grain of salt, as this is all what likely happened, but it seems that Spartacus was in a troop that was meant to storm the lands of the Maidi tribe of Thracians, of whom he belongs. Likely feeling some sort of reservation about slaughtering and enslaving his own people (what a do-gooder) he joined the rebels and fought using guerrilla tactics against them - but only until his eventual capture. 

The slave traders likely picked him up fairly quickly and sent him to Rome to be sold. A strong, young fighter, he would be chosen for a gladiator and sell for a high price. As far as slaves go, this wasn't actually all that bad - you would want to keep your gladiators happy and healthy, with good meals to ensure they're fighting at their best, countless hours to train, and the privilege to keep his lady-friend. 

Regardless, Spartacus got fed up and revolted against one Gnaeus Lentulus Batiatus, the leader of the camp in which the gladiators were being trained. This was incredibly risky - they had to break into the kitchen to steal knives and other potentially violent kitchen tools, and unite the slaves of a variety of ethnic backgrounds and charge the guards. About two hundred or so rose up and easily dispatched the guards, likely caught relatively unawares, and the fugitives were on their way to freedom. Soon after, stumbling on a wonderful bit of luck, they happened upon a wagon carrying a number of gladiator arms destined for Pompeii which they decided to... "commandeer." The nearby garrison of Roman soldiers (bear in mind these were still gladiators, and the Romans were not so stupid as to leave them completely unguarded) went to dispatch them quickly, in what would be the first of a number of severe and damaging underestimations of the strength of Spartacus and company. Upon defeating them, they took their weapons and armour, no longer equipped with the shoddy and barbaric weapons of the arena, but instead with Roman military grade technology. This was a great moment for the slaves, as the weapons served as giving them legitimacy; no longer simple gladiators and brawlers, but a real military force.

Unfortunately for them, Rome didn't treat deserters too kindly. They got word far more quickly than one would imagine they would, and sent three-thousand (!!!) men after them - these ones properly trained, more prepared soldiers. Spartacus, picking up runaway slaves and other men along the way, had his numbers rise to a still relatively meager few hundred.

Rome thought it would be over quickly.