L. Anneus Florus tell us: "A person can tolerate, indeed, even the disgrace of a war against slaves; for although, hyforce of circumstances, they are liable to any kind of treatment, yet they form as it were a class (though an inferior class) of human beings but can be admitted (through manumission) to the blessings of liberty which we enjoy. But I know not what name to give to the war which was stirred up at the instigation of Spartacus;for being that the common soldiers were slaves and their leaders being gladiators -- the former men of the humblest, the latter of the worse, class -- added insult as well as injury to the war which they inflicted upon Rome."

Figure 1; A Gaul after looting Roman armor stands before a ten man tent. He wears an ill-fitting Montefortino helmet, a lorica hamata (mail coat) made for a thinner man, carries a looted gladius (obviously once an officers, since the sheath is so ornate). He had picked up a scutum also. This would be typical of the appearance of one of Spartacus' re-armed warriors. Photo by SFP. Taken at Roman Days 2001, Maryland. From the authors collection.

"Spartacus, Crixus and Oenomaus, breaking out of the gladiatorial school of Lentulus with seventy or rather more swordsmen, escaped from Capua. When, by summoning the local slaves to their standard, they had quickly collected more than 10, 000 adherents, these men, who had been originally content merely to have escaped, soon began to wish to take their revenge against those who imprisoned them. The first position which attracted them (a suitable one for such ravening monsters) was Mt. Vesuvius. Being besieged here by Clodius Glabrus, (a Praetor from Rome -sfp) they slid by means of ropes made of vine-twigs through a passage in the hollow of the mountain down into its very depths, and issuing forth by a hidden exit, seized the camp of the Praetor by a sudden attack which he never expected. (The Praetor had six city cohortes of 3000 men which were probably hastily raised militia. sfp)

They then (latei) attacked other camps of (troops sent against them) Praetor Varenius (2000 militia) and afterwards that ofCossinus Thoranus (two Legiones, 10, 000 likely hastily raised.) and they ranged over the whole of Campania.'; (By this time Plutarch tells us that slaves were flocking to Spartacus' standard and the fighting men were wearing captured Roman armor. sfp) (See fig. 1)

"Not content with the plundering of country houses and villages, they laid waste Nola, Nuceria, Thurii and Metapontum with terrible destruction. Becoming a common army by the daily arrival of fresh forces, they made themselves rude shields of wickerwork and the skins of animals, (this sounds like Germanic influences sfp) and swords and other weapons by melting down the iron in the slave prisons. That nothing might be lacking which was proper to a regular army, cavalry was procured by breaking in herds of horses uhich they encountered, and his men brought to their leader the insignia and fasces captured from the Praetors, nor were they refused by the man who, from being a Thracian mercenary, had become a soldier, and then a deserter, then a highwayman, and finally, thanks to his strength, a gladiator. He also celebrated the obsequies of his officers who had fallen in battle with funerals like those of Roman generals, and ordered his captives to fight at their pyres, just as though he wished to wipe out all his past dishonor by having become, instead of a gladiator, a giver of gladiatorial shows". (This was an extreme insult to a Roman citizen, forced to fight for what he would consider to be barbarians' entertainment. sfp)

"Next, actually attacking generals of consular rank, he inflicted defeat on the army of Lentulus in the Apennines and destroyed the camp of Publius Cassius at Mutina. "

The two consuls Cn. Cornelius Lentulus, Lucius Gellius Publicola, were ordered by the Senate to attack the slave army with their hastily collected forces. Remember, the best Roman troops were in Spain, fighting against Sertorius. Lucius Gellius Publicola's army became the only victorious force so far in this servile war, defeating Crixus' detachment (10-30,000) killing Crixus.

Consul Lentulus attempted to set up walled lines to hem the slave army in while training his four legiones, but Spartacus' troops broke out before the lines were completed and through luck or design captured his tribunes and their baggage. Leaderless, the consular army collapsed and fled back to Rome.

Caius, not Publius, Cassius Longius was the Provincial Proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul and with his army of two legiones was surprised by Spartacus near Modena.. Outnumbered 10,000 to 70,000 [Appius Bellum Civilum I. 116.] he was defeated. Florus ignores the defeat of Cn Manlius, Roman Praetor around the same time. There is no mention of the number of forces under the Praetor's command. Perhaps because it was insignificant. [Livius fragment, XCVI] "Elated by these victories he entertained the project, still itsetf a sufficient disgrace to us, of attacking the city of Rome. At last a combined effort was made, supported by all the resources of the republic, against this gladiator, and Licinius Crassus vindicated the honor of Rome. Routed and put to flight by him, our enemiesI am ashamed to give them this title -took refuge in the furthest extremities of Italy."

Marcus Licinius Crassus who was the richest man in Rome, offered to prosecute the war, ending the Senate's debate of how they were going to pay for it. He raised six legiones, most from Eturia and Picenum (Pompeius Magnus' men were from Picenum; they were renowned for their bravery) and armored them (30,000 lorica hamatas) (See Fig. 2) The cost must have been staggering.

Typical Legionarie of the period. Armored with lorica hamata, montefortino helmet and oval scutum. Armed with two pilums, and the gladius hispanicus. The plume was for parades only, as reconstruction shows that the plume revolved and tended to drape in the face. Not desirable for combat. 25mm figure by Old Glory. Photo by SFP from the authors collection.

At the start the enterprise almost ended in disaster. Crassus' Quacstor, Mummius, had two legiones once belonging to Consul Gellius and, against orders, attacked in Umbria. Spartacus who may have had 120,000 followers by that time, routed both legiones. Those legionaries especially were disgraced by abandoning equipment as they dashed to safety.

Crassus restored discipline for the rout by the old punishment of decimation of a cohors or a legio, (every tenth man was killed, by the nine others,) accounts differ, and with seven legiones pursued a retreating Spartacus back into Bruttium, finally ending up in Scyllacurn. There, because it was a peninsula, Crassus, planned to enclose Spartacus and his "army." He started a line of fortifications, walled in Spartacus to let him starve.

Meanwhile the Senate had recalled Gains Pompeius Magnus with his veteran Picenum legiones from Spain, and Proconsul M. Lucullus of Macedonia with his two veteran ones, to help Crassus finish him. Crassus not wanting to share the honor with anyone redoubled his efforts, but Spartacus first tried to buy his way out to Sicily and once that failed, escaped.

"Here, being cut off in the angle of Bruttium and preparing to escape to Sicily, but being unable to obtain ships, the); tried to launch rafts of beams and casks bound together with lashings on the swift waters of the straits. Failing in this attempt, they finally made a sally. But rather then escaping many were turned back " Plutarch tells us that "he took the opportunity of a snowy dark night, filled the ditch (15 feet deep sfp) with tree limbs and earth and passed a third of his army over."

Had Spartacus retained discipline he might have continued to be a hindrance, but his iron control failed, and many deserted once they were free, Gauls under Castus and Cannicus decided to head north and home. Spartacus with his reduced force was now moving towards Brundisium, with Crassus following. At this point, after sending 6000 men, a reinforced legio of 12 cohortes, to get behind Castus and Cannicus, Crassus went to deal with these "stragglers," who Plutarch says were 12,300 strong. In the following battle, trapped against the lake with the reinforced legio in the rear, it looked bad for Castus and Cannicus, yet Spartacus arrived and forced Crassus to draw off.

Now Crassus left the two low strength legiones to observe Spartacus, and continued the pursuit of Castus and Cannicus. He caught up with them at the source of the River Siler, a mountain, on which they were entrenched in such a strong position that Crassus was forced to use his new horse to good effect. They attacked the slaves' camp, and they forced the slaves to abandon the strong position to protect their plunder. Once they slaves left the rough terrain, outnumbered, and against Sulla's vets in Crassus service, they were routed. Compressed up against the base of the mountain, all fell, for little Roman loss.

Spartacus by now realized that his way to Brundisium was blocked by the army of the Proconsul Lucullus, retraced his steps back towards Crassus and his destiny. His army strength is unknown, perhaps 40,000 wouldn't be too far off the mark. Appius says it was "many tens of thousands desperate men."

He broke though the covering force, his last victory, putting all on a last throw of the dice, after all he defeated Crassus twice before.

However this army of six legiones, approx. 28,000, were toughened up by the campaign of 72, and with the addition of Sulla's veterans now realized they could defeat the slaves. They faced the gladiator and his ragtag assembly with confidence.

"So doing they marched forth and met a death worthy of men, fighting to the death (sin missione) as became those who were commanded by a gladiator. Spartacus himself fell, as became a leader, fighting most bravely in the front rank. " (FINI)

Plutarch says that Crassus was drawing up fortifications to again hem in the slaves when Spartacus attacked. Crassus' six legiones acquitted themselves well, and Roman discipline was matched against extreme desperation and carried the day. At least 5-10,000 men broke through the Roman right, but that was all, with the space open, Spartacus' army was overlapped and disintegrated.

Spartacus took a pilum in the leg, yet Plutarch says he still killed two centurions before he was brought down. His body was never recovered, Appius says the enraged legionaries "hacked it to pieces. "At least 6000 prisoners were taken, the rest killed and dispersed. The Romans lost 1000. The survivors or cowards, accounts differ, retreated to the north, towards Gaul and freedom, but Pompeius Magnus was coming from that direction with his legiones, in response to the Senatorial summons and destroyed them a month later. The Spartacian war was over. It is unknown the millions of sestercii in damage that the gladiator had caused Rome in 3 1/2 years, or the loss of life on both sides which must have been substantial. No such revolt ever took place like that again. The Romans had learned much during this one, and put precautions in place.

More The War against Spartacus L. Anneus Florus "Epitome of Roman History" Book II. VIII. Bellum Spartacium

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