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Period: 135 BCE to 132 BCE
First Servile War
Sicilian Slaves start a Revolt against the Roman Republic -
111 BCE
Spartacus is Born
Spartacus is born in Thrace -
Period: 104 BCE to 99 BCE
Second Servile War
This was the second of the three servile wars -
78 BCE
Spartacus in the Army
Spartacus serves as soldier in the Roman Army as an auxiliary -
73 BCE
Spartacus becomes a gladiator
Spartacus was trained at the gladiatorial school (ludus) near Capua belonging to Lentulus Batiatus, the slave trader and lanista. -
73 BCE
Spartacus the Gladiator
Spartacus trained as a lightly armed Roman gladiator referred to as a Thracian. A Thracian gladiator wore a helmet, padded leg protection and would have carried a circular or quadrangular small shield called a parmula -
73 BCE
Gladiators Escape
:Spartacus escapes from the gladiator school with 70-80 slave gladiators -
73 BCE
Gladiators Take Refuge on the side of Mount. Vesuvius
The gladiator band take refuge on the side of Mount Vesuvius (near modern day Naples) led by Spartacus with his aides Crixus, Castus, Gannicus and Oenomaus. -
73 BCE
The Gladiators destroy the surrounding area
The small group of gladiators plunder and pillage around the area and are quickly joined by large numbers of slaves, who flock to him from all quarters. He is soon at the head of a formidable slave army -
73 BCE
The Gladiators best the Republic
The praetor Clodius Glaber, with 3,000 soldiers, are sent by the Senate from Rome to quell the slave revolt. The over confident Glaber and his troops are defeated by the slave army -
Period: 73 BCE to 71 BCE
Third Servile War/Spartacus Revolt
This is the third and final Servile War. -
72 BCE
The Growth of the Rebellion
After the success over Glaber many more runaway slaves join Spartacus and his gladiator army swelling the number to 30,000 escaped slaves. The slave army splits, separating into ranks according to their natural languages. -
72 BCE
The Republic's new forces
The Senate sends the two consuls (Gellius Publicola and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus), each with two legions, against the rebel slave army. -
72 BCE
Battle at Picenum
Battle at Picenum. Many Gauls and Germans are defeated by Publicola. Their leader, Crixus, is killed. Spartacus then defeats Lentulus and then defeats Publicola -
72 BCE
Battle at Mutina
Battle at Mutina. The slave army defeats another legion under Gaius Cassius Longinus, the Governor of Cisalpine Gaul. Spartacus counsels escape via the Alps but the Gauls and Germans refuse to go, wanting to the opportunity to rob and pillage more Romans -
72 BCE
Crassus is General of the Republic
Crassus is appointed to the supreme command of the war -
72 BCE
Spartacus moves the rebellion South
Spartacus keeps the slave army together moving to southern Italy where they can hire pirate ships to Sicily (the location of the first 2 Servile Wars). The slave army defeats two more Roman legions under Marcus Licinius Crassus -
72 BCE
Crassus punishes Roman Soldiers for Cowardice
Crassus inflicts the punishment of Decimation on his Roman soldiers for cowardice - this results in the Roman soldiers becoming more afraid of Crassus than of the gladiator army of Spartacus -
72 BCE
Spartacus encampes at Rhegium
By the end of 72 BC, Spartacus is encamped in Rhegium near the Strait of Messina. -
72 BCE
Spartacus is betrayed by cilician pirates
Spartacus is then betrayed by the cilician pirates and his plan to transport the slave army to Sicily falls through -
71 BCE
The Revolt officially ends
The Third Servile War (also referred to as the Gladiator War and The War of Spartacus) is crushed by Pompey and Crassus -
71 BCE
Crassus attempts to trap Spartacus
Crassus tries to trap Spartacus and his slave army at Calabria by building a ditch with a wall, nearly sixty kilometers long and five meters wide across the 'toe' of Italy from sea to sea -
71 BCE
Spartacus escapes toward Brundisium
Spartacus manages to break through Crassus's lines and escapes towards Brundisium -
71 BCE
Battle at the River Silarus
Battle at the River Silarus. This is believed to be the final battle and the death of Spartacus. The body of Spartacus is never found -
71 BCE
Crassus Crucifies survivors
Crassus wreaks a terrible revenge on the slave army and orders that 6,000 slave captives are crucified along the Appian Way from Brundisium to Rome. Their bodies are left to rot as an example to all slaves who rebel against Rome -
71 BCE
Remaining Slaves Escape
5,000 slaves escape capture and flee north. The remainder of the slave army is destroyed by Pompey -
71 BCE
Pompey takes all Credit
Pompey claims credit for ending the slave war and is granted a triumph. Crassus is given just an ovation