Spartacus was a Thracian, and he had once fought with the Romans. According to Plutarch, he was enslaved by them after he had deserted. He was trained as a gladiator but due to his strength and combat skater.
In 73BC, he plotted an escape from his gladiatorial school near Capua in southern Italy. He was joined in the conspiracy by up to 100 other gladiators.
The plot was discovered, and only 50 of the gladiators escaped. The escapees elected Spartacus and Crixus a Gaul as their leaders.Spartacus emerged as the leader of the slaves, but other commanders were essential to the revolt. Spartacus and his men established a camp on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius in the south of Italy.
The Romans sent two armed expeditions to subdue the ex-gladiators and end the rebellion. The ex-gladiators who by now have been joined by other escaped slaves were a formidable force. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they managed to defeat both Roman expeditions. The rebels were fortunate because many Roman legions were engaged in the war against Mithridates. Their success against the two Roman forces led to even more slaves joining their ranks.
There is some speculation that the slaves split into two groups, one commanded by Spartacus and the other by Crixus. In 72 BCE, the slaves defeated a force of praetorian guards under the command of two consuls. This defeat caused panic in Rome, and many expected Spartacus to march on the city.
Instead, Spartacus marched to the south to search for loot. When they did march towards Roman again, they defeated another Roman force. Crassus, one of Rome's leading figures and probably the richest, offered his service to the Senate. He raised several legions and advanced upon Spartacus and his rebel army.
Crassus was a shrewd tactician, and he engaged the slaves in several small encounters, which he won. He forces Spartacus to retreat further south, into the ‘Toe’ of Italy. By 71 BC, the former were encamped by the Strait of Messina. Plutarch states that Spartacus planned to ferry his army to Sicily. However, he was unable to secure the necessary ships.
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