Spartacus And The Slave Wars By Brent D. Shaw: An Analysis

In this essay, I will compare and contrast the first and last Servile War. I will be basing my analysis on the book, Spartacus and the Slave Wars by Brent D Shaw. I plan to highlight the leaders, their goals and motivations for the revolts, and attempt to analyze the revolts and possibly things learned from these revolts.
The first Sicilian war began when Sicilians needed more goods for their lavish lifestyle which required more slaves. Slaves were purchased in unbelievably large numbers. Their masters were extremely haughty and were exceedingly violent (87:1). Masters believed slaves deserved to be treated harshly and only given the absolute minimum care; Herdsmen receiving the least amount of care were forced to become bandits who would
Gladiators sought freedom from the school and to return to their homeland. Seventy of the two hundred gladiators overpowered their guards and escaped using any weapon they could find. Spartacus and his men fled to Mount Vesuvius (131:1). This began the third Servile war which was led by Spartacus. Spartacus was a highly respected and feared leader due to not only his physical strength but also mental strength. All gladiators were feared for they were professional killers for having a revolt with trained killers scared the Roman government. A Roman commander, Gaius Cladius Glaber, quickly attempted to capture the rebels but instead, the gladiators swiftly escaped down the mountain and then seized a Roman camp! Men, women and children fled to Mount Vesuvius in hope that Spartacus would lead them to freedom (132:2). Spartacus showed much compassion for the runaways even if they were not useful to him. Rome sent another commander, Publious Varinius, to end the revolt but Spartacus won most of the battles. This made Spartacus ever increasingly popular and a major threat to others. Spartacus was a good leader. He tried to protect his army by sending them towards the Alps and headed for their homelands (133:1). Spartacus’ plan threw Rome into full panic. Some of Spartacus’ men faced a surprise attack from Lucius Gelluius Publicola but Spartacus came out victorious. Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus attempted to surround Spartacus and instead of fleeing he showed courage. He went head on with Cossinius’ army, won, and took their supplies (133:2). Spartacus continued to the Alps while the Senate named Crassus in charge Roman military. Crassus was previously known for being a ruthless leader thanks to the fire brigade but he was an even stricter military leader. When it came to his soldiers if they fled or showed cowardly traits he would execute one out of every ten soldiers (134:1).