Spartacus Rebellion
The Third Servile War

The Spartacus Rebellion, also known as the Third Servile War (73–71 BCE), began as a local escape attempt and grew into the largest slave uprising the Roman Republic ever faced. It started in 73 BCE at a gladiatorial training school in Capua, owned by Lentulus Batiatus, where a group of around 70 enslaved gladiators, led by the Thracian Spartacus, broke out after seizing kitchen utensils and later capturing wagons filled with real weapons. Seeking a defensible position, the escapees retreated to Mount Vesuvius. Roman authorities underestimated the threat and dispatched small forces that Spartacus outmaneuvered. One of the most striking early events was the rebels’ descent from Vesuvius using ropes made from vines, allowing them to surprise and defeat the Roman troops encamped below. This early success spurred enslaved workers from the countryside to join the rebellion, swelling the rebel force into the tens of thousands. Spartacus’s leadership was supported by several key figures: the Gallic gladiator Crixus, who later led his own contingent; Oenomaus, one of the breakout’s early instigators; and later Gannicus and Castus, who commanded separate factions. The rebels moved throughout southern and central Italy, defeating multiple Roman armies, including forces led by the consuls Lucius Gellius Publicola and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus, causing significant alarm in Rome. One of Spartacus’s major strategic aims appears to have been leading the rebels north toward the Alps so they could disperse back to their homelands. However, internal divisions among the fighters—particularly between the Thracian and Gallic/Germanic factions—prevented a unified escape. Some preferred to continue raiding in Italy rather than leave. As the rebellion continued to grow, Rome appointed Marcus Licinius Crassus to take command. Crassus imposed harsh discipline on his troops, including the use of decimation, and constructed a massive fortified trench across the toe of Italy to trap the rebel army. Although Spartacus broke through the blockade, his forces were increasingly fragmented, particularly after Gannicus and Castus separated and were later defeated by Crassus.

In 71 BCE, the rebels were cornered in southern Italy. In the final battle—likely in the region of Lucania—Spartacus fought at the front lines in an attempt to break through Roman forces but was killed in combat. His body was never recovered, a fact that later contributed to his legendary status. Following the final defeat, Crassus ordered the surviving 6,000 rebels to be crucified along the Via Appia, creating a continuous line of executions stretching from Capua to Rome as a warning to others. The rebellion exposed deep instabilities in Roman society, particularly its reliance on mass enslavement and the vulnerabilities of its military command structure. Although the revolt was ultimately crushed, Spartacus became one of history’s most enduring symbols of resistance against oppression.​