Spartacus
~111–71 BCE · Thracian (enslaved in Rome) · Roman Republic, Third Servile War
Known for: Gladiator who led history's most famous slave revolt against Rome
Spartacus was a Thracian soldier enslaved by Rome and trained as a gladiator at Capua. In 73 BCE, he led 70 gladiators in an escape that snowballed into a revolt of over 70,000 enslaved people. His ragtag army defeated multiple Roman legions—an unprecedented humiliation for the Republic.
He was a surprisingly strategic leader who attempted to march his followers out of Italy to freedom rather than suicidally attacking Rome. He was eventually cornered and killed by Marcus Crassus's legions. Six thousand captured rebels were crucified along the Appian Way from Rome to Capua as a warning that lasted for years.
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