SPARTACUS
? - 71 BC

Spartacus was from Thrace.

Originally, Spartacus was a soldier in the Roman army. For some reason he ended up as a slave. They made Spartacus a gladiator.

In the year 73 B.C., Spartacus and 70 fellow gladiators managed to run away from gladiator school to Mount Vesuvius. Naturally, they took their arms with them. Many fugitives joined the group. Spartacus soon was surrounded by about 90,000 followers.

What to do with so many people when you're suddenly their leader?

Spartacus' plan was to fight their way out of Italy, then kiss everyone good-bye and let them leave to their own homes or wherever they wanted to go. But the problem was that his men had different plans. They quite liked plundering and pillaging. Hence they wanted to stick together.

This was a bad development because the Romans wouldn't allow it.

Finally, Spartacus and his men were stopped by Marcus Licinius Crassus and his troops. Spartacus died in battle. The slaves who didn't die wished they had.

The War of Spartacus is also called the Gladiatorial War.

Plutarch reports on this revolt or war.