Write An Essay On Spartacus As A Gladiator

Spartacus’s true origins have been lost to time, accounts about him are often contradictory or aren’t very reliable. What has seemed to be similar in all accounts was the fact that he was a gladiator and that he had great aptitude and success as a military leader. Plutarch, the famous Greek essayist believed that Spartacus was Thracian. Thracians were often referred to as being bloodthirsty, and warlike barbarians by the “more civilized” Greeks and Romans. Appian, a Roman historian also agreed with Plutarch that Spartacus was Thracian but he believed that Spartacus was once a soldier fighting for the Roman army and somehow became a prisoner and then a gladiator, which he’s most famous for. Thrace was located in what is now modern day Bulgaria,

Varinius decided to split his forces amongst Furius and Cossinius, both soon were routed by Spartacus and his men, were defeated and killed, Varinius nearly himself was nearly captured but escaped, leaving behind his equipment. It is quite possible that one of the leaders of the revolt, Oenomaus had been killed during these battles as there’s no mention of him ever again. Due to Spartacus’s recent successes, some 70,000 men, an admixture of herdsman, shepherds, and slaves joined his ranks. Spartacus and his now fairly formidable army spent the winter of 73-72 raiding the towns of Nola, Thurii, Nuceria, and Metapontum, as well as training their newest additions, it is thought that because of the great distance between these areas, Spartacus and Crixus had split their forces up and led in separate directions. In the spring, both forces started moving northwards towards Gaul, Gaul being the homeland of Crixus. The Roman Senate shocked at the size and successes of the once thought to be crimewave, now revolt, decided to send two consular legions under the command of Lucius Gellius Publicola and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Coldianus in yet another attempt to end this problem once and for all. This effort to end the revolt had initially been successful, as Crixus and his army had actually been defeated and killed by Gellius in a battle near Mount Garganus, with at least two thirds of

Plutarch believed that following the defeat of Crixus, Spartacus came into conflict with Lentulus’s legion and summarily defeating them and claiming their equipment. From this defeat, both consuls were recalled to Rome and relieved of their command. All-the-while, Spartacus pushed further northwards into northern Italy, Plutarch didn’t believe that Spartacus fought Gellius’s legion or a combination of the two different legions whatsoever. From there, Plutarch wrote that in continuing his march north, Spartacus battles a Roman army of 10,000 men commanded by Gaius Cassius Longinus, governor of Cisalpine, Gaul, who attempted to impede Spartacus’s press further northwards but was