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Among the many generals who attempted to stop the aggression of ancient Rome, none is more remarkable than the Thracian who became a gladiator and a rebel who shook the complacency of Rome to its core. This is the first full biography of the illiterate, obscure herdsman who joined the Roman army only to desert when it marched on his own people. A number of Roman writers at the time and later could not help but be impressed by the skill and dazzling performance of a man whose name we should not know and who, at all events, should not have survived in the historical record.
Sold as a slave in Rome and trained as a gladiator in Capua, Spartacus’ breakout led to the third slave revolt in as many generations. The difference was that the previous two had been mounted in Sicily and were easily put down by Roman troops. Spartacus, from his base on Vesuvius, struck much nearer to home and destroyed no less than five Roman armies before he was finally cornered and defeated.
Using ancient texts and his knowledge as a military historian, MJ Trow puts flesh on the bones of the Spartacus war, made famous by the Kirk Douglas film, which itself caused almost as much controversy as the original rising. How could a slave outwit and defeat the finest military machine in the ancient world? MJ Trow in an exciting and detailed narrative, provides the answer.
book reviews
- Oxford Times
“M J Trow makes this a lively and engaging account that also explores the film in detail using it to prove or disprove myths surrounding Spartacus.” - Daily Express
“In this 244-page examination of Spartacus, M J Trow examines the uprising which to this day still causes men to utter the leader’s name with hushed reverence. Not only does he chart the military action with clarity and assurance, he also reveals the character of the man who nearly brought one of the world’s most powerful empires to its knees.”
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