The Spartacus War

In twelve spell-binding chapters (plus an introduction and a conclusion), the author recounts the story of the Spartacus slave revolt that took place in Italy in 73 - 71 B.C. Perhaps because of the mythology surrounding the name `Spartacus', it is surprising to learn that very little is known for certain about the details of the various military encounters between Spartacus' followers and the Roman legions. This lack of information also applies to many of the exact routes taken by the slaves in their treks through the Italian peninsula and their reasons for taking them. Consequently, after alerting the reader to deficiencies in facts, whenever appropriate, the author considers the likelihood of the various possible scenarios and presents the most likely explanations for the events that have unfolded that are consistent with historical and archaeological evidence. Throughout the book, the author does a superb job of separating the facts from the myths. The writing style is clear, very authoritative and scholarly, friendly, widely accessible and most engaging. Although this book is bound to be a real treat for ancient history buffs, general readers who like thrilling adventure stories are likely to enjoy it just as much.

You know the name Spartacus, probably from the many fictional descriptions of his life, especially Kirk Douglas playing the title role in the 1960 film by Stanley Kubrick. There are novels about him, too, and a ballet by Khachaturian. Ronald Reagan was no scholar of Roman history, but in an address in Britain, he referred to the rebellious slave Spartacus as a symbol of the fight against totalitarianism. Spartacus's name seems as if it will resound forever, and so a case could be made that we ought to know more about him than the "facts" presented in a Hollywood biopic. Here are the facts: _The Spartacus War_ (Simon and Schuster) by classicist Barry Strauss. It is a compelling story, the sort of history that makes sense of the far-distant Roman world while being frank about how little we can know for sure. Strauss has authoritatively put together facts from the original ancient documents, or the ancient documents citing older documents now lost, and has judiciously filled in the gaps. Spartacus didn't write a biography, of course, but his followers didn't write about him either, and it is only from a few Roman or Greek writers that we get some idea of what Spartacus did. Those writers were writing from the point of view of those who had put down Spartacus's rebellion. We can't even put together some of his battles with certainty; those around Vesuvius, for instance, were more than a century before the volcano had its famous explosion in 79 AD, and the terrain was changed completely. Nonetheless, Strauss's narrative is compelling, and the excitement of the story combined with its detail make this a superb history. Spartacus was a Thracian who fought in the Roman army. He deserted, and was later captured, made a slave, and condemned to become a gladiator. In 73 BC he convinced seventy other slaves to revolt from their gladiator school, using kitchen knives as weapons. Spartacus and his growing army (perhaps as many as 100,000 at one point) began his two years of ravaging the countryside and defeating one Roman army after another. The Romans underestimated the power of the slave revolutionaries, and the first armies sent out against Spartacus were badly defeated. They finally sent in Marcus Licinius Crassus, who He took over the troops in the most forceful of ways, literally decimating any deserters; 500 runaways were divided into fifty groups, and nine men clubbed the selected tenth man to death. He was hungry for a victory, not least because he wanted to win before his rival Pompey could return from battles in Spain and take some of his glory. Crassus pursued the slave army, splitting it and eventually gaining a victory for Rome. The Romans seem to have admired Spartacus, for all the threat he was to their entire society. He was clever and brave. His end came mostly because he was betrayed by pirates he had commissioned to get his army out of the Italian peninsula and into Sicily. He was not, despite what Hollywood might show

Barry Strauss has done it again. This well written book shows us much about Spartacus and his army that may not be known. Easy to read and entertaining, I thought Mr. Strauss did a much better job with this book than he did with "The Trojan War". I would recommend for anybody who loves ancient military history.

Professor Strauss has done it again - producing a serious addition to the historian's bookshelf that is readable and enjoyable by those without a graduate education in classics. This is not to say that Strauss has "dumbed down" his work, but more that his writing style and contemporary analogies make for a remarkable enjoyable read - an enjoyable page-turner. The author, an historian and scholar of note, is in top form meshing (near) contemporary accounts, his own research, and such illustrative anecdotes as the myth of Scylla and Charybdis to make the ancient story come alive for the modern reader. This historical example of insurgency - which has become a modern strategic theme of note - is a must read for military professional an amateur historian alike.

Here's another in what is rapidly becoming the "must have" series of books on ancient military history. Strauss follows up his works on Salamis and the Trojan War with a look at Spartacus that is equal parts entertaining and eye opening. His insights and ideas are fascinating, yet they're perfectly balanced with his usual flair for storytelling. It's a must buy for anyone who loves military history, but also for anyone who can quote the movie from memory.