Spartacus – the famous slave gladiator era of the Roman Republic. He went down in history as the organizer of the largest and most complex uprising in the republican history of ancient Rome and was marked by several brilliant victories over the Roman armies.
Spartacus’s life before slavery
It is known that the birthplace of Spartacus was Thrace. Fragmentary and contradictory information has been preserved about his life in his homeland. According to one of them, he participated in the wars against the Roman legions, where he was captured and turned into slavery.
According to another version of the short biography of the gladiator Spartacus, he was a mercenary in the Roman army, but decided to flee. The chase caught the fugitive and, as a punishment, he was transferred to the gladiators.
Plutarch argues that the famous Thracian was from a nomadic tribe, and had a mediocre attitude to Thrace. Nevertheless, the obtained military experience helped him in the future.
Rise of Spartacus
In Spartacus, the biography would not have become so popular if it were not for the slave uprising, which he organized. It began with an escape in 74 BC. detachment of several dozen people, led by Spartak. They set up their camp on the summit of Mount Vesuvius, where slaves from the neighborhood began to run. Spartak was able to organize and rally around himself a large number of people, after which he showed the talent of a commander and smashed two Roman cohorts.
On Spartacus was declared a hunt in the entire Roman army. His army grew and already numbered about 10,000 people.
He dreamed of launching an uprising not only in Italy, but on the territory of all Roman lands. But colleagues did not support his ideas and decided to seize Rome. In the army of slaves there was a split and a part of the army left Spartacus, and later it was broken.
In a thirst for revenge, Spartak returns to Italy and defeats the forces of the Senate, but the passage through the Alps was already closed. Then Spartak decided to go south to cross into Sicily. But against him the Senate summoned the two best generals of the time – Mark Licinius Crassus and Pompey. Together they drove Spartacus into a corner, where he gave his last battle, where he was wounded in the thigh. Standing on his knee, he continued the fight until Roman weapons killed him. According to one version, the body of Spartacus was crucified on the cross, along with many of his comrades on the road from Rome to the edification of other slaves.
The Legacy of the “War of a Slave”
The history of Spartacus speaks of the power of the human spirit. His example inspired people to fight for their freedom. The history of Spartacus was deeply studied and presented in the Soviet years as a symbol of the rebelliousness and struggle of a free man for his life. In the communist ideology, Spartak was a real fighter against the slave-owning system, who raised the people against their masters, ready to bring their lives on the altar of freedom.
The image of Spartacus in art
Spartacus’s life path inspired many sculptors, poets, musicians and artists. Many of their works have been preserved on the slave gladiator who challenged the whole system.
In 1874, the Italian writer Rafaello Giovagnoli published a detailed and historically authentic artistic novel “Spartacus telling his story.
In 1956, the ballet “Spartak” was born with the music of Aram Khachaturian, whose productions have not ceased for more than 50 years. Two musicals are dedicated to the gladiator – Jeff Wayne (1992) and Eli Shuraki (2004).
With the emergence of such a genre as a movie, about the famous slave four famous films were shot in 1926 (USSR), 1953 (Italy / France), 1960 (USA) and 2004 (USA), as well as in the United States in 2010, the TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand ”, which, by the way, has no historical authenticity.
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