[music playing] NARRATOR: After a decade
of barbarian terror, the empire's brilliant
General Marius grabs the reins of power,
turning Rome's volunteer militia into the greatest
fighting force the world has ever known. Now, at the center
of the republic, a deadly revolt is brewing. The bloody death of
a gladiator slave is the ultimate spectator sport. By the first century BC,
it's no longer a game, and the slaves
explode in rebellion against their masters. Their leader history
remembers as Spartacus. Rome's powerful army and
philosophy of conquest have enriched the republic
in territory, treasure, and slaves. Captured on the battlefield
or in conquered towns, the slaves become a commodity. Slaves were people,
and the Romans knew it, but they pretended that
slaves weren't people, that they worked tools with
limbs, and arms, and voices. NARRATOR: Between the third
and the first centuries BC, the Roman Republic expands
from central and southern Italy to encompass almost
all the Mediterranean. And so the slave markets
fill, and eager buyers pick over the merchandise. If 30% of the population
of the Italian peninsula was enslaved in the
first century BC, that would be roughly equivalent
with the number of slaves that there were in
the American South on a per capita basis, where
it's true that probably 35% of the population was
enslaved in, say, the 1850s. Slaves could be
born into slavery. They could be sold into
slavery from foreign countries. Slaves could be captured in war. So there was a great
variety of both of the ways that people got to
be slaves, and also a great variety in the way
that people lived as slaves. NARRATOR: First century
Roman landowner Columella gives buying advice. READER: "My first warning is
not to appoint a farm manager from the kind of slaves who
please with their bodies. Rather, you must select a man
who from childhood has been made hard by fieldwork and who
has been proven by experience." NARRATOR: Not all slaves
are destined for fieldwork. The strongest are
reserved for sport, to train for the
arena as gladiators. These gladiators were
very much professionals. They had professional trainers
called lanistae, who would prod them on, just the way
a football coach prods on his men and his team to
perform at their very best. They're rented out for
people to put into shows, or they're sold to the person
who's gonna put on the show. They tend to be
regarded in this way as being the lowest of the
low, people whose bodies are at the disposal of others. Gladiators could be either
the top professional fighters in the most expensive
entertainment of the time, or they could sometimes be
condemned criminals forced to fight. Like championship boxers today,
they would train really hard in a very dangerous sport,
and then they would only fight a couple of times a year. Because they were, of
course, very expensive. NARRATOR: Most of the gladiators
names will be lost to history, but posterity will record the
feats of two of these men, one named Crixus, and the other
Spartacus, a man born to lead. Spartacus was a foreigner. He wasn't a Roman, but he
had served in the Roman army. But then something happened. We don't know
whether he deserted. That's what some people say. Or whether he was thrown out. Some stories are that he then
became a very successful bandit on the highways. But eventually he was
captured and forced to become a gladiator by
the Roman authorities. Whether against his will we
can't say, but most likely he hated it. NARRATOR: Second century
biographer Plutarch. READER: "Spartacus not
only possessed great spirit and bodily strength, but he
was more intelligent and nobler than his fate." NARRATOR: Whatever twist of fate
brought Spartacus to slavery, it's clear he will
not accept it idly. And Crixus will
share his destiny. Few gladiators lived to retire. Most die a horrible,
violent death, whether in a small regional
arena or a great coliseum. Sometimes the crowd is
asked to choose the weapons, relishing the violence to come. People were prepared to
witness other human beings engaged in mortal combat
before their very eyes, and this was tremendously
exciting for them. By the late republic, already
people are becoming heroes for becoming gladiators. And they're able to attain some
measure of status, at least some measure of popularity
with the masses, because of their
abilities as fighters. NARRATOR: By the
luck of the draw, the gladiators learn who among
them will be the first to die. To add spice to the
fight, gladiators usually are unmatched in terms of
weapons and fighting styles. Whatever style they fight,
their inadequate armor can't protect their lives. They had trained
for months, years, so they could use their
particular weapons. Having to get so close
that they could see the spittle in their
opponent's mouth, or they hoped the
fear in his eyes. And the smell of blood would
have been overwhelming. This was an excitement
to the crowd. It was a sign to the
gladiators that their very life was at stake. NARRATOR: It's like a
terrible dance of death for the pleasure of the crowd. Yeah, yeah! NARRATOR: But in 73 BC, at the
Ludus, or gladiator school, a group of trainees grows tired
of taking orders from the Roman guards. They decide that if
death awaits them, it will not find
them in the arena. Abused and angry,
they conspire to put their lives and their
training on the line to change their fates. According to second
century historian Appian, Spartacus, joined by his
fellow gladiator Crixus, masterminds the plan. READER: "He persuaded about
70 of the enslaved men to risk a break for freedom,
rather than to allow themselves to be put on display for the
entertainment of others." Spartacus became
a great gladiator, but there was a fire
burning inside him, a fire I guess resenting
the loss of his freedom, fire desiring justice. And so Spartacus organized
his fellow slave gladiators to break out and
seek their freedom. NARRATOR: The local
militia, unused to combat, are wary of the
rebels they hunt. They've seen them in the arena. They know the kind of
men they're facing. Second century
biographer Plutarch. READER: "The gladiators repelled
those who were coming out of the city of Capua, and seized
from them many weapons that were more suitable for warfare. They happily made the
exchange, throwing away their gladiatorial
armaments, which they viewed as dishonorable and barbaric." NARRATOR: As their leader,
Spartacus takes his men from slavery to warfare, leaving
Roman corpses in their wake. Having defeated
the local militia, Spartacus leads his slave
army from the city of Capua to Mount Vesuvius, where they
seek refuge and make camp at the top of the steep ridge. Spartacus, along with his
co-conspirator Crixus, have slipped the grasp
of Roman authorities. Now they must prepare their
men for the inevitable battles to come. Spartacus had the personal
glow and the strength that would make people
want to follow him, even on this dangerous escape
from the gladiator school jail. Mount Vesuvius was
an active volcano. It was a dangerous
place to hide out, but Spartacus knew that he
and his escaped gladiators could find a position on Mount
Vesuvius to organize and plan. NARRATOR: But a messenger
comes to warn Spartacus that the Romans are setting
up camp below to seal them in. The Senate has sent in
commander Claudius Glaber to corner the rebels
and halt the rebellion. He managed to push Spartacus
and his sort of nascent group of rebels up onto the
mountain into what seemed like a tight spot. And therefore Claudius
Glaber assumed he wasn't going to have
any trouble crushing them on Mount Vesuvius. NARRATOR: Plutarch
chronicles the plan. READER: "Claudius
ordered his soldiers to guard the one narrow and
difficult access road that led up the mountain. All the other parts
of the mountain were formed of steep precipices
and could not be traveled." NARRATOR: Spartacus and the
escaped slaves' only way down is now blocked off. The siege has begun. In 73 BC, Spartacus
and his comrade Crixus refuse to die in
the gladiator ring. Together, they lead
a slave rebellion, but now the outlaws are trapped
on southern Italy's Mount Vesuvius by Claudius,
a Roman officer. High on the mountain,
Spartacus and his men plot their brilliant
escape, as chronicled in the second
century by Plutarch. READER: "The slaves cut off
the useful parts of the vines and wove ladders out of them. They were strong
and long enough, so that when they were fastened
at the top of the cliffs, they reached down
as far as the level plain at the foot
of the mountains. One of the things that's very
interesting about the early phase of Spartacus'
revolt is how he seems to know the terrain
much better than anybody else does. Now, in part this can be because
herdsmen and other people who know the area around
Vesuvius are joining in. They're sympathetic. The slaves who joined
Spartacus and his group from the countryside were
probably, in the beginning, mostly the herdsmen, who
were these slaves living independent, who already
had weapons and were in top physical condition, who became
then the soldiers for this gladiator-led army. NARRATOR: Spartacus and
his ever-growing legion are able to rappel down
the cliff, landing just beyond Claudius' camp. Down below, the Romans
underestimate the slaves' resolve. You've got to realize that
the people who were chasing them looked more like the Keystone
cops than Caesar's legions. These are guys who are not
part of the regular military establishment. They're being led
out by officers who aren't very good
officers, who probably have very little knowledge
themselves of the countryside, because it's the area where
they send their slaves. NARRATOR: The Romans vastly
outnumber the renegades, but the slaves' bold plot is a
testament to their ingenuity, desperation, and their hatred
of their Roman oppressors. And to the ultimate
disgrace of the Roman army, these thousands of Roman
soldiers and their commander are routed by this small band
of gladiators, who had attacked them from behind by climbing
down the cliff on their ropes woven from vines. NARRATOR: With this
success, the movement grows, according to
historian Appian. READER: "Many fugitive
slaves and even some freemen from the surrounding
countryside came to this place to join Spartacus. They began to stage bandit
raids on nearby settlements. Since Spartacus divided
the profits of his raiding into equal shares, he soon
attracted a very large number of followers." The one group that
Spartacus did not accept into his rebel band were
deserters from the Roman army, which may seem odd, and yet
it makes perfectly good sense. These people were precisely
the ones who had chickened out. NARRATOR: Second
century authored Florus. READER: "The daily
arrival of new recruits formed themselves
into a regular army. They made rough shields out of
branches covered with animal hides, and swords and spears
by melting down and recasting their shackles from
the slave barracks." NARRATOR: What they cannot make,
Spartacus and his men scavenge from the dead bodies. The amazing thing about
the Spartacus revolt is that the slaves who
are trained as gladiators very quickly retool
themselves as soldiers. Which doesn't mean they fight
in precisely the same way that the Roman army does,
but Spartacus himself, some sources say,
had been a soldier. NARRATOR: Throughout 73 BC,
the rebels continue south, gaining in numbers and leaving
Roman soldiers in defeat. The Senate calls for another
magistrate, commander Publius Varinius, to stop them. A keen horseman, Varinius brings
his best stallion with him, as well as the traditional
Roman symbol of power, called the fasces, a bundle of
wooden rods surrounding an axe. This symbolized the
magistrate's power to use force to enforce order, sticks to beat
civilians or soldiers, the axe for capital punishment. The axe was only
put into the fasces when the commander
is outside of Rome. Because on military
campaign, the commander has martial law power
over his troops. NARRATOR: But symbols
seemed to be of little use to Varinius against
a slave army. Spartacus' troops have
already bloodied his own, killing his co-commander. Varinius prepares his remaining
men for the battle to come. Spartacus, familiar
with Roman strategy, stays one step ahead, according
to the historian Sallust. READER: "To avoid a surprise
attack while they raided the countryside, the rebels
propped up fresh corpses at the gates of their camp,
so that the Romans would be led to believe that
guards had been stationed." NARRATOR: With the
decoys in place, the renegades are free to attack
the Romans at will, catching them completely by surprise. Spartacus' force
is really fearsome. The officer corps, if you will,
are these superbly trained, really tough,
experienced gladiators. So they want revenge. This army wants
freedom, but they also want to show their Roman masters
that they are men, not just tools. NARRATOR: Through his
ingenuity, Spartacus scores another victory
over the arrogant Varinius and takes prisoners
from the Roman army. Second century historian Appian
records Rome's humiliation. READER: "The Romans did not
yet consider this a real war, but rather raids and
predations of bandits. But these bandits
defeated the Romans. Spartacus even captured
Varinius' own force right from under him. This Roman commander was that
close to being taken prisoner by a gladiator. NARRATOR: The victory is all the
sweeter when Spartacus steals the fasces. the ultimate symbol
of Roman power. When Spartacus surprises
Varinius in battle and manages to capture not only
his horse out from under him but also his fasces,
this is a tremendous blow to the credibility
of Varinius but also to the power of the Roman state
symbolized in those fasces. NARRATOR: Spartacus becomes
a figure of fame and fear, and now commands 70,000
rebels, but tension builds between the army's popular slave
general and his friend Crixus. So Spartacus was showing the
Romans, I'm as good as a Roman. I, Spartacus, I fought
in the Roman army. I have the same
understanding of freedom. I have the same understanding
of the value of life and death for every man, slave or free. NARRATOR: But Crixus
becomes consumed with his desire for revenge. He shows the captured
Roman soldiers no mercy, writes fifth century
historian Herosius. READER: "They staged
gladiatorial games using prisoners they had taken. Those who had once
been the spectacle were now to be the spectators." NARRATOR: The slaves grew more
violent with their success. Crixus spurs them on while
Spartacus pleads for order. Their unity begins to falter. Then Crixus makes
his move, unleashing the slaves' fury against
defenseless Roman civilians. Historian Sallust
describes what happens. READER: "The fugitive
slaves immediately began to rape young
girls and married women, killing those who
tried to resist. Spartacus himself was
powerless to stop them, even though he repeatedly
begged them to stop." NARRATOR: Until now, the slaves
were unified against Rome. Now they began to turn
against each other. It's the moment the Romans
have been waiting for. Southern Italy, 72 BC. The slave Spartacus
and his army of rebels have managed to defeat and
humiliate the Roman troops dispatched to stop them. But now, as his comrade Crixus
exerts his own authority, the conflict is
coming from within. At the slaves' makeshift
camp, Spartacus makes plans to head
across the Alps, but Crixus has ideas of his own,
writes the historian Sallust. READER: "Crixus and his people
wanted to march directly against the enemy in order to
force an armed confrontation. Spartacus, on the other hand,
advised a different course." NARRATOR: Crixus openly
challenges his friend's ability to lead. One of the things that's
interesting about Spartacus' revolt is that he really
doesn't seem to have had a plan. In the area that he is, he's got
now probably tens of thousands of supporters, and he's got
to move from area to area around Italy to make sure
that everybody can eat. NARRATOR: Impatient, Crixus
abandons the slave camp, taking a faction of
rebel soldiers with him. Spartacus is now left to
lead his people alone. The two men strike different
paths across Italy. With the slave army now divided,
Rome prepares to strike hard. Consuls Lucius Gellius Publicola
and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus meet to plan their strategy. The Romans simultaneously
thought of the slaves as contemptuous subhumans,
but also recognized that these slaves were
tremendously successful in battle against themselves. So in many ways, this made
it their worst nightmare, that these slaves were defeating
them over and over again on the battlefield. NARRATOR: This untidy
rebellion now looks more like an actual war, and it
demands a serious battle plan. Every village Spartacus enters
could hold a trap or an ambush. Or sometimes, according
to Sallust, a friend. READER: "Many
slaves in the towns were by nature
sympathetic allies, and offered things
at their masters had hidden away, or dragged
out their masters themselves from their hiding places." NARRATOR: These nobles are
given as prizes to the army, to further humiliate the
republic's aristocracy. From his fellow
slaves, Spartacus also gathers food, weapons, and
more soldiers for his cause. But Rome's efforts
also increase. In the Garganus Mountains
of Italy's east coast, Crixus and his faction are
hunted down by Roman commander Gellius' troops. The writer Plutarch records it. READER: "Gellius made a
sudden surprise attack on Crixus' forces, who,
because of their arrogance, had separated from Spartacus." NARRATOR: The historian Appian. READER: "Crixus was in
command of 30,000 men. 2/3 perished, including
Crixus himself." NARRATOR: The Roman army
scores its first major victory against the rebels, but
the mastermind is still on the loose. The Romans don't linger
on the killing field before heading out
to crush Spartacus. Orchestrating a pincer movement,
Roman commanders Gellius and Lentulus camp on
either side of the mountain pass, waiting for their prey. But their simple strategy
doesn't prepare them for an army of desperate slaves. One of the most important
things about Spartacus' revolt was it broke out at a time when
the best Roman armies weren't in Italy. They were in Spain or
they were off in Turkey. The troops who were sent
out against Spartacus had all been recently raised. NARRATOR: The historian Appian. READER: "Spartacus turned
on them one after the other and defeated each
Roman army in turn. The Romans were forced to
flee from the field of battle in great confusion and uproar." The Roman officers
faced a really formidable military challenge. And the Roman officer corps, not
being professionally trained, was simply not up
to the challenge. NARRATOR: Once again,
Spartacus has claimed victory over the Roman army. But this time,
victory isn't enough. Spartacus demands
blood vengeance for the death of Crixus. He sacrifices 300
Roman prisoners. He begins to develop into this
massively anti-establishment figure, celebrating his
defeat of Roman magistrates, executing Roman prisoners,
destroying the property of the rich in the countryside,
providing an alternative, really, to the current regime. And that's where he
draws his strength. NARRATOR: With this victory,
Spartacus' army has the chance to escape Italy for freedom. But instead, the men choose to
remain in the empire they so despise. It's not entirely clear why
Spartacus' forces turned back from the north of Italy. They had enjoyed
success to the point that they were sort
of drunk with it, and they wanted to go on. And rather than leave, go home,
settle back down to whatever life it was that they had
enjoyed before their captivity, they wanted to
continue to fight. NARRATOR: His forces make their
way south to the city of Thuri, where they set up a
base of operations. In the third year of
the slave rebellion, Rome finds itself helpless. The Senate calls upon
Marcus Licinius Crassus, a wealthy nobleman who
loves glory almost as much as he loves money. He wanted to be at the
top of Roman society, and that required winning
military victories. And so he was eager for the
chance to defeat Spartacus, which he thought would
be easy, because slaves, after all, couldn't be
seriously dangerous. NARRATOR: But Crassus, learning
from the failure of others, will not underestimate his foe. A strict disciplinarian,
he takes his assignments seriously, for his glory
and for the good of Rome. Spartacus' growing army
of rebellious slaves have become well and
apparently unbeatable. Now Marcus Licinius
Crassus has devoted himself and his considerable forces
to their destruction. But Crassus finds the Roman
force undisciplined, cowardly, and ready to retreat in battle. Crassus will not stand for this. After suffering a humiliating
defeat against the rebels, he takes drastic action. He will teach his troops
the meaning of obedience through the penalty
of decimation. Decimation was a
terrifying punishment, because men were just
arbitrarily taken out, every 10th man. Maybe you hadn't run away. Maybe the rest of the
unit had run away, and you had stayed to fight. But if there were
no witnesses, you could be pulled out
as the 10th man. So you were in absolute
terror standing in the line as to whether you're
gonna be the one who's gonna be taken out. And then your death is gonna be
horrible, because your friends are gonna have to beat you to
death with sticks and clubs. It's not gonna be a quick,
easy, or honorable death. You're not going to be stabbed
or allowed to commit suicide. You're going to be disgraced,
and it takes a long time to be beaten to death. NARRATOR: Through
decimation, Crassus makes his troops fear him
more than they fear Spartacus, their enemy. It was meant to shame the
men who were doing the beating, as well as the man who's
killed, even though he might not have been personally a coward. NARRATOR: In the
name of discipline, as many as 4,000 men meet
their agonizing death this way. But the brutality
makes its point. Crassus scores a victory
in his next battle against the rebel army. Unlike Spartacus'
earlier opponents, Crassus was a really
experienced soldier. He knew how to train an army. He knew how to deploy an army. He had the necessary experience. And now for the
first time, Spartacus is confronted with an actual
Roman general, not a politician who's leading out an
inexperienced group of men. NARRATOR: Their forces engage. A highly trained and able
Roman army against a band of desperate, violent rebels. With Crassus in the
fray, the balance has started to tip
against Spartacus. Pursued by Crassus'
army, the renegade slaves flee to the south,
but Spartacus has already planned his next move. Pirates control the
waters around Italy. Like Spartacus, they
live in defiance of Roman law or any law. They answer only to gold,
and they traffic in slaves. Spartacus sends messengers
to negotiate with them. Spartacus tried everything
to get his men out of Italy to safety. Finally, in desperation, he
made a deal with the devil, with the Cilician pirates. Cilicia is a part of
what is today Turkey. And they were famous,
these pirates were, for attacking shipping. But they were also famous
as the biggest slavers in the Mediterranean. Cilician pirates
made lots of money by capturing and selling slaves. So Spartacus had
to know that when he made a deal with
the Cilician pirates to bring their ships to
Italy and evacuate his men, that there was a real danger
that the Cilician pirates would simply sell his men
back into slavery. He probably had in mind
crossing over into Sicily and occupying the island,
almost taking it over as a new territory, a new
state, where these rebels would be able to face Rome
on their own terms. NARRATOR: The slaves and
the pirates strike a deal. The Cilicians agree to
transport 2,000 of the slaves to Messina in Sicily. Spartacus hopes to
expand his rebellion while eluding Crassus' troops. They haven't a moment to lose
as the legions of Crassus close in, prepared
to trap and slaughter the slaves like feral beasts. Ahead of the Romans,
Spartacus and his horde arrive at the tip of
Italy and find no ships. The pirates have betrayed them,
and the Romans are closing in. Now Spartacus has to try
to fight his way out of Italy against an army that's
been restored to discipline by Crassus, that's
there in force, and that will finally
be able to display the tactics and the discipline
that made a Roman army so formidable. NARRATOR: Crassus
plays it smart. He knows the strength
of Spartacus' forces. He also knows time
is on his side. He'll starve the rebels
out by walling them in, writes Plutarch. READER: "This
great and difficult work he perfected in
a space of time short beyond all expectation,
making a ditch from one sea to the other, over the
neck of the land and above it, built a wonderful
high and strong wall." Crassus is a fully
modern Roman general, who among other things knew how
to use field fortifications. And that's what we see
him doing with Spartacus. NARRATOR: The project, 35
miles long, up to 15 feet high, is immense. Second century
biographer Plutarch. READER: "When supplies
began to run out and Spartacus wished to
move off the peninsula, he recognized the impediment
formed by the wall." NARRATOR: Spartacus
is forced inland, and yet every attempt to move
north is rebuffed by the wall. After three years
on the rampage, the rebel forces
have been caged. But the Senate, which ordered
Crassus to bring a quick end to the rebellion, is tired of
waiting for results, according to historian Appian. READER: "When the Romans learned
of Crassus' siege tactics, they thought it
unworthy that this work against the gladiators
should be prolonged." NARRATOR: A messenger
arrives at Crassus' camp, carrying infuriating
news from Rome. The Senate has lost faith in
him and turned the task over to his greatest rival. The talented general Pompey the
Great is returning from Spain a hero, having crushed
a bloody uprising there. He is ordered to bring
the slave rebellion to its overdue conclusion. Pompey was probably
one of the best generals that Rome ever had. And Pompey was, like
Crassus, highly ambitious, and had more of a military
reputation than Crassus. He had an enormous
knack for the theatrical. He has a way of projecting his
image around the Roman world. He has a sense of PR that,
quite frankly, other politicians of his time don't have. NARRATOR: Now he's off to
vanquish Spartacus and rob Crassus of glory. But not if Crassus
can beat him to it. They are two dogs
after the same fox. 71 BC. Abandoned by the
pirates in lower Italy, the survivors of the
Spartacus slave revolt find themselves walled in
by General Crassus' troops. And now comes the
great General Pompey, a new threat to Crassus'
honor and Spartacus' life. Spartacus is on the move
again, having broken the siege that Crassus had
so carefully set. Appian chronicles his escape. READER: "He staged sudden, small
scale attacks on his besiegers, at selected points hitting
them suddenly and sharply. He crucified a Roman prisoner
as a visual demonstration to his own men of what would
happen to them if they did not win." NARRATOR: As the
rebels move stealthily through the countryside,
Spartacus and his army find their peril has doubled, as
word comes that Pompey is also in pursuit. Pompey had already developed
something of a reputation for being a clean up guy. He would show up at the end of
a lengthy, grueling, hard slog, so to speak, and walk away with
the glory for having brought it to a close. NARRATOR: As Pompey
draws closer, Crassus becomes more frantic to
crush the rebellion before he arrives. Spartacus, hemmed in against
the coming onslaught, sends a messenger to
Crassus, offering a truce. Spartacus remains
confident, waiting for word back from Crassus. He's sure the Romans
are ready to listen, though the rebels keep
their swords sharp. Spartacus tries to negotiate
with the Roman leaders, because Spartacus sees
himself as a free man. That's the way he
had started life. And Spartacus ran his
army like a Roman army, as if he had the same honor
as his opponents, the Romans. NARRATOR: But when
his messenger returns, it's clear that the Romans
don't see Spartacus that way. He is a slave and an enemy. With the negotiations a
failure, the day that Spartacus has dreaded is here. Even if he beats
Crassus in battle, Pompey will be
following right behind. Spartacus can't withdraw. He can't surrender. Second century
biographer Plutarch. READER: "Spartacus recognized
that his hand was being forced, and arranged his whole
army into battle formation. When his horse was brought to
him, Spartacus drew his sword and killed the animal." He proclaimed that
should he win the battle, he wasn't going to
need a whole horse. He would have thousands
of horses at his disposal. Should he lose the battle, he
also wouldn't need a horse. That is to say,
he had dismounted. He had joined the foot
soldiers in his troop, and he had gotten out there
to fight it out to the finish. NARRATOR: Crassus and his army
meet Spartacus near Brundisium, down the heel of Italy. And so the battle begins. Three years of revolt have led
up to this one decisive match between Crassus and Spartacus,
the largest confrontation between two strong armies. One source reports that
he was wounded in the leg, and was so crippled up that he
had to get down on his knees, but he refused to quit fighting. NARRATOR: According
to historian Appian. READER: "The killing
was on such a scale that it was not possible
to count the dead. The body of Spartacus
was never found." Spartacus never
took the opportunity to get away, which he might
well have done individually. So Spartacus was
a man who showed that he had a sense of
honor, a sense of honor at least as deep and
sincere as that of any Roman who'd never been a slave. NARRATOR: Crassus pursues
the survivors, killing all he can find, except 6,000,
whom he captures and crucifies along the main road to Rome. They were
crucified, spread out at about 30 to 40 feet each,
one by one, for 125 miles. So you can imagine the stench
and the disgusting sight that anyone would have
had traveling that road. If you were a Roman, this
stench would have smelled like dead slaves to you. You were glad to
see these people, albeit in their
disgusting, decaying form. If you were a slave,
this was a message. This was what awaited
you if you rebelled against the power of Rome. NARRATOR: Crassus vanquishes
the slave rebellion, those some of the rebels
are lucky enough to dodge the slaughter
until Pompey, true to form, has the last laugh. Pompey managed to show up
just in time to chase down the 5,000 or so gladiators
who managed to escape this combat, this big battle. And he captured or killed
the remaining ones. NARRATOR: Then,
according to Plutarch, Pompey makes sure he
receives all the credit. READER: "Pompey then
wrote to the Senate, that although Crassus had
defeated the gladiators in battle, Pompey had
extinguished the war to its very roots." Pompey's career
is very interesting. In fact, Pompey at one point
was accused of being a vulture. He was feeding upon
other people's roadkill. NARRATOR: The Romans rushed to
put this ugly slave rebellion behind them. When it's over, Pompey
receives a triumph, the highest Roman honor for his
work fighting enemies in Spain. Crassus receives merely a minor
commendation for his efforts against the common slaves
who terrorized Italy. Though the end of
Spartacus in 71 BC marks the end of the
slave rebellions in Rome, slavery continues to bolster
the economy of the awakening empire. But the lessons of the revolt
aren't lost on the Romans. Spartacus in the
Roman imagination becomes almost the equivalent
of an Osama bin Laden. He's a frightening
figure who's out there. He remains a threat, even
when you can't see him. And you're afraid that there
will always be another one coming up behind him. The Romans realized
from this slave revolt that they had to keep their
army in tip top shape. This might have been the
time when Romans first began to think, maybe we need
a professional standing army to keep us safe at home
as well as to protect us against foreign invaders. NARRATOR: But even
a mighty empire can't defend itself forever. Long after it withers
away, the story of a single man who stands
against it still endures. Spartacus survives in
legend down to the present. He's been a culture hero for
people who are repressed, for people who are downtrodden
right up to the modern age. NARRATOR: But while
the empire reigns, it belongs to the powerful.
