He defeated Lentulus legates and captured all of their supplies, Plutarch writes. While many things about the character ofQuintus Batiatus might not make a lot of sense in the show, the historical figure was a real person in Ancient Rome. Know the courageous life and leader of the Gladiatorial War, Spartacus, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Spartacus-Roman-gladiator, HistoryNet - Spartacus, the Slave Warrior Who Threatened Rome, Spartacus - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Florus described him as one "who, from a Thracian mercenary, had become a Roman soldier, that had deserted and became enslaved, and afterward, from consideration of his strength, a gladiator". There are real intellectual risks that attend East-West comparisons in philosophy, as in other disciplines. In regards to his ties with the Roman Empire, historians arent quite sure of what exactly happened. The series is surprisingly truthful with many of its finer details surrounding the life of Spartacus, including his escape from Capua, and his role in the Third Servile War; both of which are heavily inspired by real historical events. Hereturned to the popular consciousness of Europe during the 1791 slave rebellion in Haiti. He is thought to have been born in Thrace (modern day Balkan region) and it has been suggested he was in the Roman army. It is generally accepted that Spartacus was born in Thrace (today's the Balkans). The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Died: 71 BC on a battlefield near Petelia, Italy. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Ultimately their numbers grew to at least 90,000. The other was through compassion and acceptance. We can readily imagine the kinds of beliefs a person in Andy Whitfields situation could have formed, absent philosophical direction: What have I done to deserve this? For they are fatal to the ability to live completely whatever our particular fate happens to be: You will hear many men saying: After my fiftieth year I shall retire into leisure, my sixtieth year shall release me from public duties. And what guarantee, pray, have you that your life will last longer? The Roman legions eventually defeated and crucified thousands of them, and Spartacus was killed in battle in 71 BC. At the same time, the Roman Senate, alarmed by the defeat of the praetorian forces, dispatched a pair of consular legions under the command of Lucius Gellius and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. If you separate from yourself the future and the past, and apply yourself exclusively to living the life that you are livingthat is to say, the presentyou can live all the time that remains to you until your death, in calm, benevolence, and serenity. It is the same, blindingly simple yet deeply philosophical idea that explains why the ancient literature on the virtues of philosophical sages abounds in paradoxes: the sage is the only truly rich man; all of the sages actions are successful, even those that fail; virtue is the only good; everyone else except sages are slaves (if not gladiators) . Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Andy Whitfield, the British star of US TV drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand. And this usage reflects one, much older sense of the Greek word philosophia than that or those confusedly used today. Thracians were known to be good horseman, able to tame even wild horses. In 73 BC Spartacus escaped from the gladiatorial barracks with around 70 comrades, armed with kitchen implements and a few scattered weapons. Anthropology, Archaeology, Arts and Music. Let not your thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which you may expect to befall you: but on every occasion ask yourself: what is there in this which is intolerable and past bearing? Only a few key changes were made to wrap up some of the shows story arcs. The last straw might simply have been the sight of the Alps. [56] Spartacus has been a great inspiration to left-wing revolutionaries, most notably the German Spartacus League (191518), a forerunner of the Communist Party of Germany. Eine Gegengeschichte des Altertums nach den Legenden der Zigeuner". His force was not completely trapped and he likely had at least 30,000 troops able to fight. His wife, Vashti, described him as "our beautiful young warrior". Dan has his regular catch-up with Simon Elliott on all things Roman. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. It was acclaimed as the first truly intelligent epic, but its director, the highly acclaimed Stanley Kubrick, has largely disowned it.Kubrick took the assignment, partially as a way of escaping the ill-fated One-Eyed Jacks project he was . Spartacus was a Thracian who had served in the Roman army but seems to have deserted. Andy Whitfield (season 1 and prequel) and Liam McIntyre (seasons 2-3) as Spartacus - a Thracian slave who becomes a gladiator in the ludus of Lentulus Batiatus before leading a slave uprising. The Father of History: Who Was Herodotus. "How lucky we were to have him grace all our lives. Whitfield died on Sunday in Sydney, Australia, 18 months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his family and manager said. NEXT:5 Things That Are Historically Accurate In Peaky Blinders (& 5 That Aren't). This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Thousands of others were killed by the army of the Roman general. These defeats are depicted in divergent ways by the two most comprehensive (extant) histories of the war by Appian and Plutarch.[33][34][35][36]. However, he was betrayed by the pirates, who took payment and then abandoned the rebels. Associate Professor in Philosophy, Deakin University, Matthew Sharpe works at Deakin. The show sees Caesar as very involved in the plot to take down Spartacus, even going so far as to infiltrate his forces. Godspeed, Andy! After defeating another Roman force, this one led by a Roman governor named Gaius Cassius Longinus, Spartacuss force was now free to climb the Alps and go to Gaul, Thrace or other areas not controlled by Rome. He was sold into slavery and trained at the gladiatorial school in Capua, north of Naples. He turned to a group of Cilician pirates (as Plutarch called them) who frequented the area and, who Strauss notes, were equipped with speedy boats and navigational knowledge, things Spartacus needed to make the crossing successfully. While Glaber himself was very real, there is nothing to suggest that the two men knew each other by anything other than reputation. The writer Plutarch, who lived in the second century A.D., wrote that she was a prophetess who was possessed by ecstatic frenzies that were part of the worship of the god Dionysus. After Spartacus woke up with a snake coiled around his head she declared that this was the sign of a tremendous and fearsome power that would bring him to an unfortunate end (translation by Brent Shaw, from the book "Spartacus and the Slave Wars: Brief History with Documents," Bedford/St.Martins, 2001). The body of Spartacus was apparently never identified. Around 6,000 men survived the battle but were later captured and crucified by the Roman army. This version of Caesar works closely with Roman General Marcus Crassus to help defeat Spartacus and his armies. Instead, they blocked off the main route up Vesuvius, pitched camp and tried to starve him out. As each round of treatment raises hopes of remission, and each round of news disappoints those hopes, we watch Andy and Vashti responding, and finally conceding to the inevitable. I am like a butterfly with broken wings. Spartacus is thought to have been killed in the battle. [54] Spartacus Books, one of the longest running collectively-run leftist book stores in North America, is also named in his honour. Actor Liam McIntyre took over Whitfield's role in the TV series when he became ill. "On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer," his wife said in a statement. As a consequence Crassus selected every tenth man from the consular legions by lot and had him executed, wrote Appian. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was.". Spartacus waged a brilliant guerrilla campaign against a strong and well-organized enemy, but he could not prevail against a fully mobilized Rome. Born: Around 109 BC. Spartacus needed two things, good boats and good sailors, to be able to land an advance party of his troops across the strait. One of the people Spartacus escaped with was his wife, a Thracian woman whose name is lost to history. Was Spartacus real? Stanley Kubrick directed Kirk Douglas in the film Spartacus, released in 1960. Spartacus attempted to lead his rowdy band back home to their native lands, but they preferred to stay and increase their ill-gotten gains. The details surrounding the death of the real Spartacus remain a mystery to this day. [29] They spent the winter of 7372 BC training, arming and equipping their new recruits, and expanding their raiding territory to include the towns of Nola, Nuceria, Thurii and Metapontum. Hemmed in by Crassuss eight legions, Spartacuss army divided. Although 6,000 rebel slaves were crucified in real life . [1] His name means "one with curly hair" in Gaulish. While the Strait of Messina is small, being only two miles (3.2 kilometers) wide at some points, Spartacus had several problems crossing it. Despite Crassus having cornered Spartacus forces in the toe of Italy, theymanaged to escape. The Romans camped at the bottom of the mountain, trying to starve out the rebels. Spartacus led the third and largest slave revolt against Rome. Spartacus was sold into slavery, perhaps due to rebellion against or desertion from the army. Gellius was then either defeated by Spartacus or forced to retreat. Genner, Michael. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Spartacus is said to have tried to engage Crassus directly but was wounded and driven to one knee. [50] If escaping the Italian peninsula was indeed his goal, it is not clear why Spartacus turned south after defeating the legions commanded by the consuls Lucius Publicola and Gnaeus Clodianus, which left his force a clear passage over the Alps. Due to the unquestionable devotion of his followers, though, everyone else eventually stands up and also declares, I am Spartacus. The show, however, spins this quote very differently. Your job, she tells him, is notimpossibly to control what he cannot. NY 10036. [25] Due to these successes, more and more slaves flocked to the Spartacan forces, as did many of the herdsmen and shepherds of the region, swelling their ranks to some 70,000. Twelve months later, Whitfield would be dead. These fighters carried a large oblong shield (scutum), and used a sword with a broad, straight blade (gladius), about 18 inches long. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Spartacus was believed to have died in this battle. Not a lot is known about Spartacus' early life. A marble statue of Spartacus, by Denis Foyatier, stands in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Happily married, a father of two beautiful children, his casting as Spartacus had propelled him to fame and fortune. On their way, Spartacus and his co-leaders, Crixus and Oenomaus, raided for supplies and recruited slaves in the countryside. Rome dispatched militia under the command of the praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber, who besieged Spartacus and his camp on Mount Vesuvius, hoping that starvation would force Spartacus to surrender. The response of the Romans was hampered by the absence of the Roman legions, which were engaged in fighting a revolt in Hispania and the Third Mithridatic War. Spartacus originated from Thrace (largely modern day Bulgaria). However, while the legend of Spartacus is based on true events, much of the legend is still fictional. Spartacuss force was now divided and increasingly surrounded and the stage was set for the final battle. There was a bit of Graffiti found in Pompeii showing Spartacus fighting written in the local Oscan language. History Hit brings you the stories that shaped the world through our award winning podcast network and an online history channel. Whitfield played the title role in all 13 episodes of the first series, screened in 2010, and was about to shoot the second series when he was diagnosed with cancer. With about 70 fellow gladiators he escaped a gladiatorial training school at Capua in 73 and took refuge on Mount Vesuvius, where other runaway slaves joined the band. Unfortunately, this famous saying is purely derived from the example set by Spartacus and isnt actually a part of his history. It is to bear up well to whatever befalls him. They marched as far north as Gaul (modern-day France). [12] Plutarch also writes that Spartacus's wife, a prophetess of the Maedi tribe, was enslaved with him. In March 2010, however, after the first season of the hit series, Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Dramatizes is not quite the word for this bazaar of Blood and Sand in which almost everyone parades around in next to nothing and blood spurts fantastically out of punctured bodies in every episode. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. However, very little is known about Glaber in real life aside from his humiliating defeat at the hands of Spartacus. For example, gladiators who performed well were treated as free men and awarded great prizes, and sometimes even women. But, for reasons we do not know, he decided to turn around and attack Crassus. Appian and Florus write that he intended to march on Rome itself. For those unfamiliar with it, Spartacus was a Starz original TV series that ran from 2010-2013 and focused on the legend of the famous figure. Spartacus was a citizen of Rome, which means he was a free male. Still, knowing that many of Romes best soldiers were outside Italy, he proceeded carefully when moving against Spartacus. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, But all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare, Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature, Lecturer / Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee. By the end of 72 BC, they were camped at Rhenium, (now Reggio di Calabria) probably intending to go on to Sicily. There was a bit of Graffiti found in Pompeii showing Spartacus fighting written in the local Oscan language. Whitfield died on Sunday in Sydney, Australia, 18 months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his family and manager said. Doing so serves as a great callback to the original film while also showing how Spartacus evolved as an ideal. However, in his final battle, Spartacus killed his horse so that he can be on the same level as his soldiers. [20] The escaped slaves defeated soldiers sent after them, plundered the region surrounding Capua, recruited many other slaves into their ranks, and eventually retired to a more defensible position on Mount Vesuvius.[22][23]. 2023 BBC. They also advertise for all who see the film the merits of its informing philosophy. The show plays out a lot of similar battle strategies used by the Romans and depicts the results rather accurately. Spartacus could have tried for another port, or another part of Italy. And how much I am losing how many years rightfully mine? Leading his army of runaway slaves, which has been estimated to have reached 100,000 men, Spartacus defeated a series of Roman attacks using tactics which would now be called guerrilla warfare. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. We will send you the latest TV programmes, podcast episodes and articles, as well as exclusive offers from our shop and carefully selected partners. Throughout Spartacus was facinga dilemma escape home over the alps or continue attacking the Romans. Drawn from interviews with Andy and his wife Vashti, viewers are invited by the film into their home and their struggle to come to terms with the havoc the actors cancer was dealing to Andys body and to his life. Thankfully, they'll all miss. In time, he even succeeded in getting non-slaves to join his rebellion. "He was a gentle man who never said a bad word about anyone, a gifted photographer, engineer (no really!) Read about our approach to external linking. The show's attention to detail really helped build the narrative in a believable fashion, making the show all the more appealing. Plutarch, Appian and Florus all claim that Spartacus died during the battle, but Appian also reports that his body was never found. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. A Thracian by birth, Spartacus served in the Roman army, perhaps deserted, led bandit raids, and was caught and sold as a slave. In 2010, Whitfield was a young man with everything to look forward to. Everyone above a certain age in this broad sense has a philosophy of life, which in turn shapes what they feel and do. The series focused on Spartacus during three key moments in his life, from his time as a slave all the way to his death. At one point, explaining why he is not raging at his fate, Whitfield explains simply that there are two ways he could respond. Corrections? He then set out to find Crassus, to fight him one on one, but was eventually surrounded and killed by Romansoldiers. Despite this, the show still finds a very clever way to incorporate Glaber into a larger role in the show (whether he needed this large amount of screen time or not) despite his small mark on history. [27] Of the slaves that joined Spartacus ranks, many were from the countryside. Historical Trips - Book your next historical adventure, 6 Secret Historic Gardens in the United Kingdom, Join Dan Snow for the Anniversary of the D-Day Landings, War of The Worlds: The Most Infamous Radio Broadcast in History, The King Revealed: 10 Fascinating Facts About Elvis Presley, 10 Facts About American Poet Robert Frost. Whether he realistically threatened Rome is debatable, but he certainly won a number of sensational victories and was thus written into the history books. At first, Rome did not regard the slave army as a serious force and did not send front-line troops against it; Spartacus' army defeats and defeats the first four armies. Though the rebels lacked military training, they displayed skilful use of available local materials and unusual tactics against the disciplined Roman armies. The real-life battle between the two was likely much more politically driven than personal. The accounts vary about Spartacus' death though it is most likely he died in battle, though the film Spartacus depicts him as being cruxified along the Appian way with 6,000 other escaped slaves. He was a Thracian who joined the Roman army as a young man. Yet Whitfields own response was different. Spartacus was around 30 years old at the time he started his revolt,[17] which would put his birth year around 103 BC. Spartacus represents the pinnacle of the epic film trend which included spectaculars such as Cleopatra, Ben Hur, and Fall of the Roman Empire. Sources differ on why Spartacus took this course of action. He was sent to the gladiatorial training school in Capua in 73 B.C. This was a remarkable achievement, even given that he had a massiveforce at his disposal. What makes Be Here Now such a powerful watch is the almost supererogatory courage, equanimity and grace Whitfield displayed in the final months of his too-brief life. Andy Whitfield knew for at least three months that, at age 39, he was going very soon to pass away. Read more. According to the surviving sources, Spartacus was from Thrace, an area in southeast Europe that the Romans were often trying to subjugate during the first century B.C.. Undeterred Spartacus ordered his troops to assemble boats of their own and, while they succeeded in building a number of them, their attempt to cross the strait failed, leaving his troops stuck on the Italian mainland. It is estimated that there were 90,000 to 100,000 men in all. [39] After this, Crassus's legions were victorious in several engagements, forcing Spartacus farther south through Lucania as Crassus gained the upper hand. Spartacus was apparently both competent and humane, although the revolt he led inspired terror throughout Italy. Aside from Julius Caesar, the portrayal of Spartacus wife is another major historical inaccuracy. The Roman force under Gellius caught up with Crixus, killing the leader along with many of his rebels. This rebellion, interpreted by some as an example of oppressed people fighting for their freedom against a slave-owning oligarchy, has provided inspiration for many political thinkers, and has been featured in literature, television, and film. All sources agree that he was a former gladiator and an accomplished military leader. Spartacus responded to the situation by offering Crassus a peace treaty which Crassus swiftly rejected. In many ways, however, the real story of the series Spartacus unfolded off-screen. AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, US sues Exxon over nooses found at Louisiana plant, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, Coded hidden note led to Italy mafia boss arrest. Instead, he was considered part of the dregs of society. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. [57] A January 1919 uprising by communists in Germany was called the Spartacist uprising. He also revived a practice called decimation where units that ran away from the enemy would draw lots and have a random number of soldiers killed by being clubbed or stoned to death. Once again, the first season of the show reflects a lot of accurate history. The legend of Spartacus has inspired so many fanciful retellings, it's easy to lose track of what actually happened back in 73 BC. On the other hand everyone has heard of Spartacus.. The show depicts the two groups as collaborators at first, with the Romans eventually turning on the Thracians and enslaving them. In his business dealings Plutarch said that he had a scheme where he bought up the burning properties and the buildings in the neighborhood of those alight, as the owners would surrender them for a small sum of money out of fear and uncertainty. (Translation from Roman Social History: A Sourcebook, Routledge, 2007). After her passing, Spartacus forms a relationship with Mira (Katrina Law), a slavegirl at the House of Batiatus. Whatever the reasons were Spartacus led his army back south, through Italy, overcoming resistance along the way, until they arrived at the Strait of Messina, in hopes that they could cross over to Sicily, an island of agriculture and slaves waiting to be liberated. He was sent to the gladiatorial training school in Capua in 73 B.C.E. [4], The Greek essayist Plutarch describes Spartacus as "a Thracian of Nomadic stock",[5] in a possible reference to the Maedi tribe. Born in roughly 109 B.C.E., his life's mostly a mystery to history until he became a thorn in the side of the Roman Empire. Gellius then proceeded to advance on Spartacus from the south while Lentulus, who was apparently ahead of Spartacus, drove in from the north. New York, Spartacus was a Roman slave and gladiator who led a revolt against Rome, which turned into the Third Servile War (73 B.C.E. Additionally, according to ancient sources, Spartacus insisted on equally dividing the spoils, something that made recruitment all the more easier. However, things didn't work out. Around 130 BC there had been a huge, sustained uprising in Sicily, and smaller conflagrations were frequent. Even though their actual roles differ between the show and the actual events, it is still nice to know that the role these people played in history is still being acknowledged. In this scene, as Spartacus and his army are captured, Spartacus stands up declaring I am Spartacus as a means of hoping to spare the rest of his allies. None of Spartacus's actions overtly suggest that he aimed at reforming Roman society or abolishing slavery.