76-627: Spartacist may refer to: An ancient supporter of Spartacus , who led a slave rebellion against the Roman Republic The Spartacus League , a left-wing Marxist revolutionary movement in Germany during and just after World War I The modern Spartacist League, also known as the International Communist League , a Trotskyist international organisation Topics referred to by
152-548: A Roman soldier, that had deserted and became enslaved, and afterward, from consideration of his strength, a gladiator". The authors refer to the Thracian tribe of the Maedi , which occupied the area on the southwestern fringes of Thrace , along its border with the Roman province of Macedonia – present day south-western Bulgaria . Plutarch also writes that Spartacus's wife, a prophetess of
228-435: A century or more after his death: Plutarch of Chaeronea (46 AD - 119 AD) and Appian of Alexandria (95 AD – AD 165). The specific works are Life of Crassus (early Second Century AD) by Plutarch and Civil Wars (early to mid Second Century AD) by Appian. Out of all surviving sources on Spartacus, none were written by eyewitnesses and are all later reconstructions, nor were the sources written by slaves or former slaves, and
304-498: A distance of more than 100 miles. Classical historians were divided as to the motives of Spartacus. None of Spartacus's actions overtly suggest that he aimed at reforming Roman society or abolishing slavery . Plutarch writes that Spartacus wished to escape north into Cisalpine Gaul and disperse his men back to their homes. If escaping the Italian peninsula was indeed his goal, it is not clear why Spartacus turned south after defeating
380-508: A flat surface. The historian Procopius said that the stones fit together so securely and closely that they appeared to have grown together rather than to have been fitted together. The road was cambered in the middle (for water runoff) and had ditches on either side of the road which were protected by retaining walls. The road began in the Forum Romanum , passed through the Servian Wall at
456-448: A gladiatorial school near Capua . Despite their small numbers initially, Spartacus's forces were able to defeat several Roman military units, swelling their ranks to an estimated 70,000 enslaved people and others. Spartacus proved himself a capable tactician, despite the lack of formal military training among his followers, which included a diverse mix of individuals. The rebellion posed a significant challenge to Roman authority, prompting
532-472: A hero and icon for communists and socialists. Karl Marx listed Spartacus as one of his heroes and described him as "the most splendid fellow in the whole of ancient history" and a "great general, noble character, real representative of the ancient proletariat ". Spartacus has been a great inspiration to left-wing revolutionaries, most notably the German Spartacus League (1915–18), a forerunner of
608-554: A primarily Etruscan to a primarily Italic state. Dense populations of sovereign Samnites remained in the mountains north of Capua, which is just north of the Greek city of Neapolis . Around 343 BC, Rome and Capua attempted to form an alliance. The Samnites reacted with military force. Between Capua and Rome lay the Pontine Marshes ( Pomptinae paludes ), a swamp infested with malaria . A tortuous coastal road wound between Ostia at
684-591: A result. Pyrrhus withdrew to Greece, where he died in a street fight in Argos in 272 BC. Tarentum fell to the Romans that same year, who proceeded to consolidate their rule over all of Italy. The Romans pushed the Via Appia to the port of Brundisium in 264 BC. The itinerary from Beneventum was now Aeculanum , Forum Aemilii [ it ] , Venusia , Silvium , Tarentum, Uria and Brundisium. The Roman Republic
760-410: A series of military campaigns against it. Ultimately, Marcus Licinius Crassus was tasked with suppressing the revolt. Despite initial successes and attempts to negotiate and escape to Sicily , Spartacus's forces were defeated in 71 BC. Spartacus was presumed killed in the final battle, although his body was never found. The aftermath of the rebellion saw the crucifixion of 6,000 surviving rebels along
836-492: A slave revolt and gather reinforcements. However, he was betrayed by the pirates, who took payment and then abandoned the rebels. Minor sources mention that there were some attempts at raft and shipbuilding by the rebels as a means to escape, but that Crassus took unspecified measures to ensure the rebels could not cross to Sicily, and their efforts were abandoned. Spartacus's forces then retreated toward Rhegium. Crassus's legions followed and upon arrival built fortifications across
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#1732844257084912-530: A slave-owning oligarchy , has been featured in literature, television, and film. The philosopher Voltaire described the Third Servile War as "the only just war in history". Although this interpretation is not specifically contradicted by classical historians, no historical account mentions that the goal was to end slavery in the Republic . There are two main sources on Spartacus, both of which were written
988-542: A statement by Plutarch, it appears that some of the escaped slaves preferred to plunder Italy, rather than escape over the Alps. Toussaint Louverture , a leader of the slave revolt that led to the independence of Haiti , has been called the "Black Spartacus". Adam Weishaupt , founder of the Bavarian Illuminati , often referred to himself as Spartacus within written correspondences. In modern times, Spartacus became
1064-405: A sword with a broad, straight blade ( gladius ), about 18 inches long. In 73 BC, Spartacus was among a group of gladiators plotting an escape. About 70 slaves were part of the plot. Though few in number, they seized kitchen utensils, fought their way free from the school, and seized several wagons of gladiatorial weapons and armour. The escaped slaves defeated soldiers sent after them, plundered
1140-499: A truce with Crassus. When Crassus refused, Spartacus and his army broke through the Roman fortifications and headed to Brundusium with Crassus's legions in pursuit. When the legions managed to catch a portion of the rebels separated from the main army, discipline among Spartacus's forces broke down as small groups independently attacked the oncoming legions. Spartacus now turned his forces around and brought his entire strength to bear on
1216-459: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Spartacus Spartacus ( Ancient Greek : Σπάρτακος , romanized : Spártakos ; Latin : Spartacus ; c. 103–71 BC ) was a Thracian gladiator ( Thraex ) who was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War , a major slave uprising against
1292-573: Is in the second mile of the road. Along or close to the part of the road closest to Rome, there are three catacombs of Roman and early Christian origin and one of Jewish origin . The construction of Rome's ring road, the Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA, in 1951 caused the Appian Way to be cut in two. More recent improvements to the GRA have rectified this through the construction of a tunnel under
1368-423: Is known about him beyond the events of the war, and surviving accounts are contradictory. All sources agree he was a former gladiator and accomplished military leader. Spartacus is described as a Thracian by birth, possibly from the Maedi tribe. Before his enslavement and role as a gladiator, he had served as a soldier with the Romans. His revolt began in 73 BC when he, along with about 70 other gladiators, escaped
1444-523: Is no surprise that, after his term as censor, Appius Claudius became consul twice, subsequently held other offices, and was a respected consultant to the state even during his later years. The road achieved its purpose. The outcome of the Second Samnite War was at last favorable to Rome. In a series of blows the Romans reversed their fortunes, bringing Etruria to the table in 311 BC, the very year of their revolt, and Samnium in 304 BC. The road
1520-399: Is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic . It connected Rome to Brindisi , in southeast Italy . Its importance is indicated by its common name, recorded by Statius , of Appia longarum... regina viarum ("the Appian Way, the queen of the long roads"). The road is named after Appius Claudius Caecus , the Roman censor who, during
1596-540: The Appian Way . Spartacus's motives remain a subject of debate, with some sources suggesting he aimed to escape Italy, while others hint at broader social reform goals. His legacy has endured, inspiring cultural works and becoming a symbol for resistance and revolutionary movements, influencing figures like Karl Marx and being likened to the "Black Spartacus," Toussaint Louverture . The rebellion, interpreted as an example of oppressed people fighting for their freedom against
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#17328442570841672-752: The Communist Party of Germany . A January 1919 uprising by communists in Germany was called the Spartacist uprising . Spartacus Books , one of the longest running collectively-run leftist book stores in North America, is also named in his honour. The village of Spartak , in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine , is also named after Spartacus. Spartacus's name was also used in athletics in the Soviet Union and communist states of Central and Eastern Europe . The Spartakiad
1748-540: The Roman Republic . Historical accounts of his life come primarily from Plutarch and Appian , who wrote more than a century after his death. Plutarch's Life of Crassus and Appian's Civil Wars provide the most comprehensive details of the slave revolt. Despite being a significant figure in Roman history, no contemporary sources exist, and all accounts were by those not directly involved, significantly later, and without perspectives from slaves or eyewitnesses. Little
1824-550: The Samnite Wars , began and completed the first section as a military road to the south in 312 BC. In July 2024, the Appian Way entered the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Appian Way was a Roman road used as a main route for military supplies for its conquest of southern Italy in 312 BC and for improvements in communication. The Appian Way was the first long road built specifically to transport troops outside
1900-715: The Via Aemilia [ it ] , then the Via Minucia [ it ] , finally the emperor Trajan built the Via Traiana , a branch of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium via Canusium and Barium rather than via Tarentum. This was commemorated by an arch at Beneventum. Travellers could cross the Adriatic Sea through the Otranto Strait towards Albania either by landing at present day Durrës through
1976-594: The Via Egnatia or near the ancient town of Apollonia and continue towards present day Rrogozhinë in central Albania. In 73 BC, a slave revolt (known as the Third Servile War ) under the ex-gladiator of Capua, Spartacus , began against the Romans. Slaves accounted for roughly every third person in Italy. Spartacus defeated many Roman armies in a conflict that lasted for over two years. While trying to escape from Italy at Brundisium he unwittingly moved his forces into
2052-575: The Via Latina . By 290 BC, the sovereignty of the Samnites had ended. The heel of Italy lay open to the Romans. The dates are somewhat uncertain and there is considerable variation in the sources, but during the Third Samnite War the Romans seem to have extended the road to Venusia , where they placed a colony of 20,000 men. After that they were at Tarentum. Roman expansion alarmed Tarentum,
2128-658: The porta Capena , went through a cutting in the clivus Martis , and left the city. For this stretch of the road, the builders used the Via Latina. The building of the Aurelian Wall centuries later required the placing of another gate, the Porta Appia . Outside of Rome the new Via Appia went through well-to-do suburbs along the Via Norba, the ancient track to the Alban hills , where Norba
2204-440: The praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber , who besieged Spartacus and his camp on Mount Vesuvius, hoping that starvation would force Spartacus to surrender. They were taken by surprise when Spartacus used ropes made from vines to climb down the steep side of the volcano with his men and attacked the unfortified Roman camp in the rear, killing most of the militia. The rebels also defeated a second expedition against them, nearly capturing
2280-508: The Appia, so that it is now possible to follow the Appia on foot for about 16 km (10 mi) from its beginning near the Baths of Caracalla . Many parts of the original road beyond Rome's environs have been preserved, and some are now used by cars (for example, in the area of Velletri ). The road inspires the last movement of Ottorino Respighi 's Pini di Roma . To this day the Via Appia contains
2356-499: The Appian Way in that region. In the first half of the 20th century, the professor of ancient Roman topography Giuseppe Lugli managed to discover, with the then-innovative technique of photogrammetry , what probably was the route of the Appian Way from Gravina in Puglia ( Silvium ) up to Taranto . When analysing aerophotogrammetric shots of the area, Lugli noticed a path ( Italian : tratturo ) named la Tarantina , whose direction
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2432-505: The Appian Way station. More recently Luciano Piepoli, based on the distances given in the Antonine Itinerary and on newer archeological findings, has suggested that Silvium should be Santo Staso , an area very close to Gravina in Puglia , Blera should be masseria Castello , and Sublupatia should be masseria Caione . Since the latter stretch of the Appian Way turned out to be very impervious, some branches were created: first
2508-482: The High Sele Valley, which at that time was part of Lucania. In this area, since 1899, there have been finds of armour and swords of the Roman era. Plutarch, Appian, and Florus all claim that Spartacus died during the battle, but Appian also reports that his body was never found. Six thousand survivors of the revolt captured by the legions of Crassus were crucified , lining the Appian Way from Rome to Capua,
2584-702: The Maedi tribe, was enslaved with him. The name Spartacus is otherwise manifested in the Black Sea region. Five out of twenty Kings of the Thracian Spartocid dynasty of the Cimmerian Bosporus and Pontus are known to have borne it, and a Thracian "Sparta" "Spardacus" or "Sparadokos", father of Seuthes I of the Odrysae , is also known. One modern author estimates that Spartacus was c. 30 years old at
2660-534: The Romans, he won a second costly victory at the Battle of Asculum . Withdrawing from Apulia for a Sicilian interlude, he returned to Apulia in 275 BC and started for Campania up the Roman road. Supplied by that same road, the Romans successfully defended the region against Pyrrhus, crushing his army in a two-day fight at the Battle of Beneventum in 275 BC. The Romans renamed the town from "Maleventum" ("site of bad events") to Beneventum ("site of good events") as
2736-520: The Samnite Wars. The distance was 212 kilometers (132 mi). The original road had no milestones, as they were not yet in use. A few survive from later times, including a first milestone near the Porta Appia. The Third Samnite War (298–290 BC) is perhaps misnamed. It was an all-out attempt by all the neighbors of Rome: Italics, Etruscans and Gauls , to check the power of Rome. The Samnites were
2812-399: The attempted alliance and settled with Samnium . The Romans were only biding their time while they looked for a solution. The first answer was the colonia , a "cultivation" of settlers from Rome, who would maintain a permanent base of operations. The Second Samnite War (327–304 BC) erupted when Rome attempted to place a colony at Cales in 334 BC and again at Fregellae in 328 BC on
2888-543: The best of it, the Roman army turned on Greek Rhegium and effected a massacre of Pyrrhian partisans there. Rather than pursue them, Pyrrhus went straight for Rome along the Via Appia and then the Via Latina. He knew that if he continued on the Via Appia he could be trapped in the marsh. Wary of such entrapment on the Via Latina also, he withdrew without fighting after encountering opposition at Anagni . Wintering in Campania , he withdrew to Apulia in 279 BC, where, pursued by
2964-477: The coastal road at Tarracina (Terracina). However, the Romans straightened it somewhat with cuttings, which form cliffs today. From there the road swerved north to Capua, where, for the time being, it ended. The Caudine Forks were not far to the north. The itinerary was Aricia (Ariccia), Tres Tabernae , Forum Appii , Tarracina, Fundi (Fondi), Formiae (Formia), Minturnae (Minturno), Suessa , Casilinum and Capua, but some of these were colonies added after
3040-471: The disciplined Roman armies. They spent the winter of 73–72 BC training, arming and equipping their new recruits, and expanding their raiding territory to include the towns of Nola , Nuceria , Thurii , and Metapontum . The distance between these locations and the subsequent events indicate that the slaves operated in two groups commanded by Spartacus and Crixus. In the spring of 72 BC, the rebels left their winter encampments and began to move northward. At
3116-460: The distances given in the Antonine Itinerary , Lugli also assigned the Appian Way stations Blera and Sublupatia (which also occurs on the Tabula Peutingeriana ) respectively to the areas Murgia Catena and Taverna (between masseria (estate farmhouse) S. Filippo and masseria S. Pietro). However, the toponym Murgia Catena defined too large an area, not allowing a clear localization of
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3192-422: The earliest source was at least a generation after the war. The Greek essayist Plutarch describes Spartacus as "a Thracian of Nomadic stock", in a possible reference to the Maedi tribe. Appian says he was "a Thracian by birth, who had once served as a soldier with the Romans, but had since been a prisoner and sold for a gladiator". Florus described him as one "who, from a Thracian mercenary, had become
3268-549: The early Roman state. He had been given the name of the founding ancestor of the gens, Appius Claudius (Attus Clausus in Sabine). He was a populist , i.e., an advocate of the common people. A man of discernment and perception, in the years of success he was said to have lost his outer vision and thus acquired the name caecus , "blind". Without waiting to be told what to do by the Senate , Appius Claudius began bold public works to address
3344-635: The expression, " All roads lead to Rome ". Romans had an affinity for the people of Campania , who, like themselves, traced their backgrounds to the Etruscans . The Samnite Wars were instigated by the Samnites when Rome attempted to ally itself with the city of Capua in Campania. The Italic speakers in Latium had long ago been subdued and incorporated into the Roman state. They were responsible for changing Rome from
3420-609: The fields were infested with malarial mosquitos until the advent of DDT in the 1950s). Hoping to break a stalemate at Monte Cassino , the Allies landed on the coast of Italy at the Anzio - Nettuno area – ancient Antium – which was midway between Ostia and Terracina . They found that the place was undefended. They intended to move along the line of the Via Appia to take Rome, outflanking Monte Cassino, but they did not do so quickly enough. The Germans occupied Mounts Laziali and Lepini along
3496-516: The historic trap at Apulia in Calabria . The Romans were well acquainted with the region. Legions were brought home from abroad and Spartacus was pinned between armies. The ex-slave army was defeated at the Siler River by Marcus Licinius Crassus . Pompey 's armies captured and killed several thousand rebels that escaped from the battle and Crassus captured several thousand more. The Romans judged that
3572-464: The isthmus at Rhegium, despite harassing raids from the rebels. The rebels were now under siege and cut off from their supplies. At this time, the legions of Pompey returned from Hispania and were ordered by the Senate to head south to aid Crassus. Crassus feared that Pompey's involvement would deprive him of credit for defeating Spartacus himself. Hearing of Pompey's involvement, Spartacus tried to make
3648-473: The leading city of the Greek presence (Magna Graecia) in southern Italy. They hired the mercenary King Pyrrhus of Epirus in neighboring Greece to fight the Romans on their behalf. In 280 BC the Romans suffered a defeat at the hands of Pyrrhus at the Battle of Heraclea on the coast west of Tarentum . The battle was costly for both sides, prompting Pyrrhus to remark "One more such victory and I am lost." Making
3724-593: The leading people of the conspiracy. Rome dealt the northerners a crushing blow at the Battle of Sentinum in Umbria in 295. The Samnites fought on alone. Rome now placed 13 colonies in Campania and Samnium. It must have been during this time that they extended the Via Appia 35 miles beyond Capua past the Caudine Forks to a place the Samnites called Maloenton, "passage of the flocks". The itinerary added Calatia , Caudium and Beneventum (not yet called that). Here also ended
3800-483: The legions commanded by the consuls Lucius Publicola and Gnaeus Clodianus, which left his force a clear passage over the Alps . Appian and Florus write that he intended to march on Rome itself. Appian also states that he later abandoned that goal, which might have been no more than a reflection of Roman fears. Based on the events in late 73 BC and early 72 BC, which suggest independently operating groups of escaped slaves and
3876-415: The legions in a last stand, in which the rebels were routed completely, with the vast majority of them being killed on the battlefield. The final battle that saw the assumed defeat of Spartacus in 71 BC took place on the present territory of Senerchia on the right bank of the river Sele in the area that includes the border with Oliveto Citra up to those of Calabritto, near the village of Quaglietta, in
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#17328442570843952-616: The mouth of the Tiber and Neapolis . The Via Latina followed its ancient and scarcely more accessible path along the foothills of Monti Laziali and Monti Lepini , which are visible towering over the former marsh. In the First Samnite War (343–341 BC) the Romans found they could not support or resupply troops in the field against the Samnites across the marsh. A revolt of the Latin League drained their resources further. They gave up
4028-610: The north of Florence . For the 1960 Summer Olympics , it served as part of the men's marathon course that was won by Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia . After the fall of the Western Roman Empire , the road fell out of use; Pope Pius VI ordered its restoration. A new Appian Way was built in parallel with the old one in 1784 as far as the Alban Hills region. The new road is the Via Appia Nuova ("New Appian Way") as opposed to
4104-414: The old section, now known as Via Appia Antica. The old Appian Way close to Rome is now a free tourist attraction. It was extensively restored for Rome's Millennium and Great Jubilee celebrations. The first 5 kilometers (3 mi) are still heavily used by cars, buses and coaches but from then on traffic is very light and the ruins can be explored on foot in relative safety. The Church of Domine Quo Vadis
4180-505: The other side of the marshes. The Samnites, now a major power after defeating the Greeks of Tarentum , occupied Neapolis to try to ensure its loyalty. The Neapolitans appealed to Rome, which sent an army and expelled the Samnites from Neapolis. In 312 BC, Appius Claudius Caecus became censor at Rome. He was of the gens Claudia , who were patricians descended from the Sabines taken into
4256-511: The praetor commander, killing his lieutenants, and seizing the military equipment. Due to these successes, more and more slaves flocked to the Spartacan forces, as did many of the herdsmen and shepherds of the region, swelling their ranks to some 70,000. At its height, Spartacus's army included many different peoples, including Celts, Gauls, and others. Due to the previous Social War (91–87 BC), some of Spartacus's ranks were legion veterans. Of
4332-435: The punishment of " decimation ", in which one-tenth of his men were slain to make them more afraid of him than their enemy. When Spartacus and his followers, who for unclear reasons had retreated to the south of Italy , moved northward again in early 71 BC, Crassus deployed six of his legions on the borders of the region and detached his legate Mummius with two legions to maneuver behind Spartacus. Though ordered not to engage
4408-591: The rebels, Mummius attacked at a seemingly opportune moment but was routed. After this, Crassus's legions were victorious in several engagements, forcing Spartacus farther south through Lucania as Crassus gained the upper hand. By the end of 71 BC, Spartacus was encamped in Rhegium ( Reggio Calabria ), near the Strait of Messina . According to Plutarch, Spartacus made a bargain with Cilician pirates to transport him and some 2,000 of his men to Sicily , where he intended to incite
4484-461: The region surrounding Capua, recruited many other slaves into their ranks, and eventually retired to a more defensible position on Mount Vesuvius . Once free, the escaped gladiators chose Spartacus and two Gallic slaves— Crixus and Oenomaus —as their leaders. Although Roman authors assumed that the escaped slaves were a homogeneous group with Spartacus as their leader, they may have projected their own hierarchical view of military leadership onto
4560-416: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Spartacist . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spartacist&oldid=866963160 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
4636-467: The same time, the Roman Senate , alarmed by the defeat of the praetorian forces, dispatched a pair of consular legions under the command of Lucius Gellius and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus . The two legions were initially successful—defeating a group of 30,000 rebels commanded by Crixus near Mount Garganus —but then were defeated by Spartacus. These defeats are depicted in divergent ways by
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#17328442570844712-401: The sea by sand dunes. Appius Claudius planned to drain the marsh, taking up earlier attempts, but he failed. The causeway and its bridges subsequently needed constant repair. In 162 BC, Marcus Cornelius Cathegus had a canal constructed along the road to relieve the traffic and provide an alternative when the road was being repaired. Romans preferred using the canal. The Via Appia picked up
4788-555: The slaves had forfeited their right to live. In 71 BC, 6,000 slaves were crucified along the 200-kilometer (120 mi) Via Appia from Rome to Capua. In 1943, during World War II , the Allies fell into the same trap Pyrrhus had retreated to avoid, in the Pomptine fields , the successor to the Pontine Marshes . The marsh remained, despite many efforts to drain it, until engineers working for Benito Mussolini finally succeeded (even so,
4864-571: The slaves that joined Spartacus ranks, many were from the countryside. Rural slaves lived a life that better prepared them to fight in Spartacus's army. In contrast, urban slaves were more used to city life and were considered "privileged" and "lazy." In these altercations, Spartacus proved to be an excellent tactician , suggesting that he may have had previous military experience. Though the rebels lacked military training , they displayed skilful use of available local materials and unusual tactics against
4940-487: The smaller region of greater Rome (this was essential to the Romans). The few roads outside the early city were Etruscan and went mainly to Etruria . By the late Republic , the Romans had expanded over most of Italy and were masters of road construction. Their roads began at Rome, where the master itinerarium , or list of destinations along the roads, was located, and extended to the borders of their domain – hence
5016-514: The spontaneous organization, reducing other slave leaders to subordinate positions in their accounts. The response of the Romans was hampered by the absence of the Roman legions, which were engaged in fighting a revolt in Hispania and the Third Mithridatic War . Furthermore, the Romans considered the rebellion more of a policing matter than a war. Rome dispatched militia under the command of
5092-478: The supply problem. An aqueduct (the Aqua Appia ) secured the water supply of the city of Rome. By far the best known project was the road, which ran across the Pontine Marshes to the coast northwest of Naples , where it turned north to Capua. On it, any number of fresh troops could be sped to the theatre of operations, and supplies could be moved en masse to Roman bases without hindrance by either enemy or terrain. It
5168-425: The time he started his revolt, which would put his birth year c. 103 BC . According to the differing sources and their interpretation, Spartacus was a captive taken by the legions. Spartacus was trained at the gladiatorial school ( ludus ) near Capua belonging to Lentulus Batiatus . He was a heavyweight gladiator called a murmillo . These fighters carried a large oblong shield ( scutum ), and used
5244-573: The track of the old Via Latina, from which they rained down shells on Anzio. Even though the Allies expanded into all the Pomptine region, they gained no ground. The Germans counterattacked down the via Appia from the Alban hills in a front four miles wide, but could not retake Anzio. The battle lasted for four months, one side being supplied by sea, the other by land through Rome. In May 1944, the Allies broke out of Anzio and took Rome . The German forces escaped to
5320-428: The two most comprehensive (extant) histories of the war by Appian and Plutarch. Alarmed at the continued threat posed by the slaves, the Senate charged Marcus Licinius Crassus , the wealthiest man in Rome and the only volunteer for the position, with ending the rebellion. Crassus was put in charge of eight legions, numbering upwards of 40,000 trained Roman soldiers; he treated these with harsh discipline, reviving
5396-445: Was a Soviet bloc version of the Olympic games . This name was also used for the mass gymnastics exhibition held every five years in Czechoslovakia. The mascot for the Ottawa Senators , Spartacat , is also named after him. Several sports clubs around the world, in particular the former Soviet and the Communist Bloc, were named after the Roman gladiator. Appian Way The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian : Via Appia )
5472-509: Was said to have been so smooth that you could not distinguish the joints. The Roman section still exists and is lined with monuments of all periods, although the cement has eroded out of the joints, leaving a very rough surface. The road concedes nothing to the Alban hills , but goes straight through them over cuts and fills. The gradients are steep. Then it enters the former Pontine Marshes. A stone causeway of about 31 kilometers (19 mi) led across stagnant and foul-smelling pools blocked from
5548-422: Was situated. The road at the time was a via glarea, a gravel road. The Romans built a high-quality road, with layers of cemented stone over a layer of small stones, cambered, drainage ditches on either side, low retaining walls on sunken portions, and dirt pathways for sidewalks. The Via Appia is believed to have been the first Roman road to feature the use of lime cement. The materials were volcanic rock. The surface
5624-452: Was still largely influenced by the centuriation ; this, according to Lugli, was the path of the Appian Way. This path, as well as the part located in today's Apulia region, was still in use in the Middle Ages . A further piece of evidence for Lugli's proposed path is the presence of a number of archaeological remains in that region, among them the ancient settlement of Jesce. By studying
5700-474: Was the government of Italy, for the time being. Appius Claudius died in 273, but in extending the road a number of times, no one has tried to displace his name upon it. The Appian Way's path across today's regions Lazio and Campania has always been well known, but the exact position of the part located in Apulia (the original one, not the extension by Trajan) was long unknown, since there were no visible remains of
5776-440: Was the main factor that allowed them to concentrate their forces with sufficient rapidity and to keep them adequately supplied, whereafter they became a formidable opponent. The main part of the Appian Way was started and finished in 312 BC. The road began as a leveled dirt road upon which small stones and mortar were laid. Gravel was laid upon this, which was finally topped with tight fitting, interlocking stones to provide
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