We don't have a TV but we watch DVDs from Netflix or movies from iTunes every now and then - though we will often watch a movie over a month as we get the time. While adding to the DVD queue last night we noticed that Spartacus - presumably a Starz TV series - was on play now for Netflix. We haven't used that before and I assumed it would be like youtube. However it started out with a download for SilverLight.

Given that we use a Macbook with Firefox as a main mechanism of interacting with the internet the first thought that went through my head was, "uh oh". SilverLight came down as a .dmg and installed happily. I may regret it later, being Microsoft and all, and their history for ruining platforms, but the movie played without skipping or buffering issues as a full screen viewing on the Firefox/OSX.

I must admit I was surprised at how slick it was.

Update I am guessing the show was done in Australia or New Zealand as the Thracians sounded like Australians making a bad attempt at sounding British. It was almost comical. Plus it has Lucy Lawless in it, so it mist be done in New Zealand. The show seemed to be a rock opera too. Not sure why they chose that technique to tell the story.

Update Who was the real Spartacus? The Spartacus from history.

More

The real Spartacus

Roman Names

The Roman Kings

The Roman Constitution and Violence

Roman and Gaelic Legal Systems

Greece and Rome

Spartacus and Glaber

With Spartacus Blood and Sand appearing on Starz and Netflix as a 300ish fantasy, drama, adventure that is very entertaining, I realized I knew nothing about the historical Spartacus. At the local book store was the Spartacus War by Barry Strauss which is probably selling well now courtesy of the series.

Spartacus was a Thracian who served in the Roman Auxiliary. This were barbarian units that served alongside the Roman heavy and light infantry. Since the Romans were not good horsemen, the barbarian auxiliary tended to be cavalry. So it was likely that Spartacus was a noble cavalryman from Thracia (modern day Bulgaria).

His reason for being sold into slavery according to one source was because he was a deserter that chose thievery, banditry or even a guerilla fighter rather than service in the auxilia. He was captured and the result was that he ended up in Rome in the slave markets.

Spartacus lived in a ludus or gladitorial school owned by Gnaeus Cornelius Lentalus Vatia, though Vatia appears as Batiatus in one source. The owner of the ludus (dominus in the tv series) was most likely an absentee owner and lived in Rome rather than in the ludus itself.

The story of Spartacus includes a Thracian woman whose name is unknown in history. She lived with Spartacus during his time in the ludus and even escaped with him from slavery during the uprising. She is cast in history as a seer and saw in Spartacus the divine and cast prophecy of his future.

Spartacus ended up leading a large slave army of Thracians, Gauls and Germans. They originally camped on Mt Vesuvius and looted from the surrounding plains. The other interesting thing was that Spartacus' generals were Crixus the Gaul and Oenomaus (doctori in the series). Together the defeated several Roman Armies that were raised to put the revolt down. Including one led by Caius Claudius Glaber which Spartacus solidly defeated.

In the end Crassus - the richest man in Rome - came into the picture and destroyed Spartacus' army over a six month period. Pompey also enters the picture at this team and wiped out a small left over band of 5,000 slaves from Spartacus' army after having returned from Spain.

More

Roman Names

The Roman Kings

The Roman Constitution and Violence

Roman and Gaelic Legal Systems

Greece and Rome

Spartacus and Caius Claudius Glaber

Spartacus, Crixus and Oenomaus

Spartacus Blood and Sand on Netflix

During the Spartacus War in southern Italy where the Romans took nearly a decade to put down the slave revolt under Spartacus, there were three generals that led the rebels; Spartacus, Crixus and Oenomaus. The Starz fantasy show, Spartacus Blood and Sand, was open on Spartacus and Crixus as they were the two main antagonists; but the identity of Oenomaus was hidden until the last show when it was revealed he was doctori - the gladiator trainer. I doubt he was in history, but it has been interesting how the TV series has wound drama and violence around the known historical happenings.

I am confused as to why they made Spartacus, Crixus and Oenomaus gain their legitimacy to kill the house of Batiatus through dominus' immorality and treachery. Ancient morality was different to modern rationality and morality, but even so slave revolts were common and the desire for freedom is pretty consistent through out history. That would be enough.

Prior to the Spartacus War there had been two other slave revolts that the Romans had to raise armies to put down. The Spartans - who state sponsored agoge and professional army and police force - was predicated on the helots being enslaved. Their organization as a form of secret police was because of the constant threat of helot revolt. Romans were also constantly under the threat of slave violence. I think it is safe to say that slavery is not a natural condition for the human psyche and is one that is maintained by force and violence.

It would have been believable enough for me that the gladiators in the ludus wanted their freedom for the sake of it.

More

The real Spartacus

Roman Names

The Roman Kings

The Roman Constitution and Violence

Roman and Gaelic Legal Systems

Greece and Rome

Spartacus and Glaber

Spartacus Blood and Sand on Netflix

After the gladiators broke out of the ludus in Capua under Spartacus they made for Mt Vesuvius and camped there. In the previous slave war the Roman Senate had sent a Praetor against the slaves who had raised an army along the way and then quickly dispatched the slaves under the tumultus. Putting down a slave revolt was not a noble or prestigious undertaking as it was not a war, but rather a civil emergency.

Under the Roman Constitution the position of Praetor held real executive power and was the final position prior to Consul on the Roman political ladder. The Praetors helped the Consuls with administrative magistracy tasks around Rome but in times of emergency also took military generalships. It is a pattern in Roman political life that executive power and generalship are not separated as they are in modern democracies. Imperium is both martial and civil.

To put down the slave revolt led by Spartacus the Roman Senate sent out the current Praetor - Caius Claudius Glaber - to do so. Barry Strauss writes:

Who was Glaber? We hardly know. He never rose to the consulate and he had no known descendants. He was a plebian with probably at most a distant link to the more famous members of the Claudian clan. His obscurity was another sign of how little attention Rome gave Spartacus.

It is interesting however that both Cassus and Pompey laid a claim or military prestige in Rome by having put down the Spartacus revolt. However, that was after Spartacus had bested numerous Roman armies raised to defeat him. Including the one led by Glaber which was quickly defeated by Spartacus, Crixus and Oenomaus. The Roman Senate sent another Praetor, Publius Varinius, against them.

More

The real Spartacus

Roman Names

The Roman Kings

The Roman Constitution and Violence

Roman and Gaelic Legal Systems

Greece and Rome

Spartacus, Crixus and Oenomaus

Spartacus Blood and Sand on Netflix