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Almost 2,100 years ago, a gladiator walked out of the arena. And he never walked back into it.
Spartacus, a Thracian whose early life is hidden in the mists of history, is one of the most infamous figures of antiquity. Perhaps the most famous gladiator of all, parts of Spartacus’ story inspired elements of the award-winning film Gladiator (2000). Yet even though his story is familiar to millions, he remains a strangely mysterious figure, one whose innermost heart was never revealed to the world. All of the existing records about Spartacus and the war that he started and lost were written by Roman historians. None of the slaves’ account of these events has survived the onslaught of the years; thus, many of Spartacus’ actions, and all of his motives, are matters of speculation. Even Plutarch, a contemporary, could only guess at what this hero of the oppressed truly wanted or how he really felt. Diving into this great man’s psyche and puzzling together his thoughts and feelings is a fascinating subject. And his story makes for gripping reading.
Born a free man—possibly even a prince—he had become a mercenary for the Romans. Then he’d been a deserter, a bandit, and an insurgent. When they caught him, he became a prisoner. And then they sold him as a slave.
At the so-called “school” (really more of a prison) at Capua, Spartacus became a gladiator. All his life, he had known how to fight for food, resources, and survival. Now, the Romans forced him to fight for their entertainment. It was either fight his fellow slaves or die at their blades, and fight or die became the single rule by which Spartacus’ life was lived. Shackled at night in a dark and lonely cell and participating by day in a blood sport that could kill him at any second, always at the whim of his master, Spartacus had become one of the most miserable slaves in history.
He lived a slave, but he would die a hero.
With kitchen knives and sheer guts and determination, Spartacus and a handful of his friends would fight their way out of the school at Capua and go in search of a better life. And so, their journey began, a journey that has captivated the imaginations of millions, from Marxist revolutionaries to novelists and filmmakers. Now, allow Spartacus’ story to capture yours.
This story has all the hallmarks of a tale more exciting than history, a tale that comes to life with the excitement of fiction and yet the poignant reality of true events. There are battles and consuls, Romans and Thracians, slaves and the free. There are pirates and gladiators, as well as a jealous praetor seeking to prove himself in the eyes of the public, pitted against a courageous freedom fighter whose only goal is to get back to his homeland. Treachery, greed, power, freedom, ingenuity, and imagination fill this tale, which takes place all the way from the feet of Vesuvius to the mighty rampart of the Alps to the shores of the Strait of Messina.
This is the story of Spartacus. And this book will bring it to you as you’ve never heard it before.
