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Spartacus | |
|---|---|
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| Born | c. 103 BCE near Struma river, Odrysian Kingdom |
| Died | 71 BCE Lucania, Italy, Roman Republic |
| Nationality | Thracian |
| Known for | Leading a slave rebellion |
Spartacus (c. 103 – 71 BCE) was a Thracian slave and gladiator born near the Strymon River in Thracia (present-day Bulgaria) and served as the leader of the largest slave revolt in ancient Rome, though the revolt itself was a collective resistance against the destructive Roman slave society between 74 and 71 BCE.[1] He was born in Thracia and captured as a slave during the Thracian War in 80 BCE. He then escaped, was enlisted as a private in the Roman army, escaped once more, and was finally recaptured and became a gladiator-slave at the gladiatorial school in Capua. [2]
While in this gladiatorial school, he organized a conspiracy that sparked a movement of fugitive slaves, dispossessed peasants, and other oppressed people. The concentration of land among the nobility and widespread indebtedness made a mass insurrection inevitable, laying the foundation for Spartacus’s revolt.[1]
During the revolt, Spartacus demonstrated himself as an outstanding leader of the masses and one of the greatest in antiquity. His slave army won a series of victories against the Roman Empire, exposing the limits of the slave-based mode of production that Rome relied upon. Although Spartacus died at the Battle of the Silarius River in Apulia, his tragic death was predictable given the material imbalance between the Roman Empire, which poured overwhelming resources into the conflict, and the slave uprising, which lacked both resources and a vanguard.[1]
"A great general..., noble character , a true representative of the ancient proletariat"
— Karl Marx, Marx, K. and Engels, F., Works, vol. 23, p. 15
Slave Revolt[edit | edit source]
The slave uprising in ancient Rome between 74 and 71 BCE, led by Spartacus, was the most significant and most threatening to Rome, though it was part of a longer cycle ranging from the Sicilian slave wars to the Spartacus Revolt, all of which emerged as a response to the brutality and expansion of slavery within Rome.[1] During this period, slavery in Rome reached its peak, and the exploitation of slaves reached its most brutal level. The Spartacus uprising began in 74 BCE in Campania, Italy, where the latifundium (large-scale slave-owning industry) was widespread. There, Spartacus organized a conspiracy in the gladiatorial school of Capua, which was the capital of Campania.[2]
Spartacus and his small group of comrades had their conspiracy exposed, but they managed to escape and take refuge on Mount Vesuvius. While hiding near Vesuvius, the group rapidly grew as the rebellion spread, drawing in runaway slaves and peasants from the Campanian latifundia. The subsequent Roman troops sent against the hidden rebels were defeated. Viewing this revolt as an existential threat to their slavery-based mode of production, the Roman Senate and ruling class dispatched two armies of approximately 70,000 men in 72 BCE.[1]
Spartacus responded by gathering as many slaves as possible and marching with them out of Italy through the Eastern Alps. Some of the slaves, however, wanted to attack Rome directly instead of leaving. This disagreement culminated in the spring of 72 BCE, when Crixus led approximately 20,000 men to break away from Spartacus’s main force, though they were defeated by the Romans near Mount Gargana. Spartacus continued to march north with his growing army and inflicted multiple defeats on the Roman Empire, with the most notable occurring near the city of Mutina.[1]
Spartacus, for reasons that are not clear, retreated around the autumn of 72 BCE, though it could have been due to logistical strains, coordination issues within the force, the lack of bases outside of Rome, and local conflicts over whether to escape Rome or to march on it. During this time, the Romans placed Marcus Crassus at the head of the army, with six legions under his command. He attempted to encircle and strangle the rebellion in Picenum; however, the slaves defeated Mummius, one of Crassus’s lieutenant’s forces, and marched southwards. Spartacus’s new plan was to transfer part of his forces to Sicily and incite a rebellion there, thereby expanding the scope and area of the resistance.[1]
However, Spartacus’s goal to transport his forces into Sicily was met with failure, as he was unable to ferry them across the Strait of Messina. Instead, the slaves broke through Crassus’s defenses and marched to Lucania. At the same time, Casta and Gannicus, who had separated 12,000 rebels from Spartacus’s main army, were destroyed by the Romans. This split only resulted in weakening the movement, as the detached forces were uncoordinated and lacked organization, while Spartacus and the remaining slaves continued to march towards Brundisium.[1]
At this same time, the Roman Empire summoned new troops under Gaius Pompey and Marcus Lucullus to support and defend Crassus’s forces. With the empire pouring resources and troops into Crassus’s army, a final battle was fought in Apulia by the spring of 71 BCE. However, the concentration of Roman forces and resources, combined with the Roman state’s wealth and manpower, ultimately led to the deaths of the slaves.[1]
Following the battle, in which many slaves were killed, 6,000 of them were crucified along a continuous road from Rome to Capua as a ritual of terror by the ruling class, who intended to deter any slaves from resisting. Although the main revolt was defeated, individual units of slaves continued to fight for several more years. This battle, known as the Northern War, dealt a severe blow to the Roman slave system. Many slave-owning estates were destroyed, and fear spread among slaveholders, who subsequently began to reduce the number of slaves they purchased, shifting toward greater reliance on tenant labour and freemen.[1]
"...Spartacus was one of the most outstanding heroes of one of the largest slave revolts about two thousand years ago." For several years, the seemingly all-powerful Roman Empire, founded entirely on slavery, experienced shocks and blows from a massive slave revolt, which armed itself and gathered under the leadership of Spartacus, forming a huge army”
— Vladimir Lenin, Works, 4th ed., vol. 29, p. 444