Spartacus

Family: Gladiators · Role: gladiator leader · First appears: Crassus

Spartacus was a gladiator leader who escaped confinement in Capua with other gladiators trained by Lentulus Batiates. After seizing arms and taking a defensible place, the escapees chose three captains, with Spartacus as chief; Caius Cannicius and Castus later commanded forces associated with him.

The revolt faced Clodius, Furius, Publius Varinus, Cossinius, Gellius, and Cassius. Spartacus routed Furius, fought successfully against Publius Varinus, nearly captured Cossinius, and overcame Cassius near the Alps, while Gellius defeated a straggling party of Germans. Marcus Crassus was appointed general of the war, and Spartacus was eventually surrounded and killed while “bravely defending himself.”

Relationship record

Life events

Spartacus led a gladiator revolt after escaping confinement in Capua.(Crassus · 📍 Capua)
- With: Lentulus Batiates
- “One Lentulus Batiates trained up a great many gladiators in Capua, most of them Gauls and Thracians, who, not for any fault by them committed, but simply through the cruelty of their master, were kept in confinement for this object of fighting one with another. Two hundred of these formed a plan to escape, but their plot being discovered, those of them who became aware of it in time to anticipate their master, being seventy-eight, got out of a cook's shop chopping-knives and spits, and made their way through the city, and lighting by the way on several wagons that were carrying gladiator's arms to another city, they seized upon them and armed themselves. And seizing upon a defensible place, they chose three captains, of whom Spartacus was chief”
Spartacus was surrounded and killed while bravely defending himself.(Crassus)
- “At last being deserted by those that were about him, he himself stood his ground, and, surrounded by the enemy, bravely defending himself, was cut in pieces.”

Crassus

enemies with Marcus Crassus “appointed Crassus general of the war”
with Caius Cannicius (interaction) “whom Caius Cannicius and Castus commanded”
with Castus (interaction) “whom Caius Cannicius and Castus commanded”
with Lentulus Batiates (interaction) “One Lentulus Batiates trained up a great many gladiators in Capua, most of them Gauls and Thracians, who, not for any fault by them committed, but simply through the cruelty of their master, were kept in confinement”
enemies with Clodius “Afterwards Clodius, the praetor, took the command against them”
enemies with Furius “Publius Varinus, the praetor, was now sent against them, whose lieutenant, Furius, with two thousand men, they fought and routed.”
enemies with Cossinius “Then Cossinius was sent, with considerable forces, to give his assistance and advice, and him Spartacus missed but very little of capturing in person”
enemies with Publius Varinus “After many successful skirmishes with the praetor himself, in one of which he took his lictors and his own horse”
enemies with Gellius “The consul Gellius, falling suddenly upon a party of Germans, who through contempt and confidence had straggled from Spartacus, cut them all to pieces.”
enemies with Cassius “As he made toward the Alps, Cassius, who was praetor of that part of Gaul that lies about the Po, met him with ten thousand men, but being overcome in battle, he had much ado to escape himself”

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Extracted from the original text of Plutarch's Lives. Made with Rho MD.