9. Revolt by Spartacus
Spartacus was a rebel slave leader who revolted against the Roman Republic. He was a Thracian Gladiator, who was supported by Gauls, Oenomaus, Gannicus and some other tribes, to bring about a great revolution in the society. The revolt by Spartacus was successful enough to shape the political background of the society then. This was one of the early slave wars of oppressed people fighting for their rights. However, there are some contradictions regarding the objective of the revolt as some of the rebel leaders were found to commit atrocities upon the less privileged. Most historians have a forked view about its purpose. Some believe that the main aim was to free men and return them to their homes. They also propose the fact that the rebellions wanted to escape the Italian peninsula, but this has been deemed controversial as it doesn’t explain why they headed south after defeating Consuls Lucius even though they had a clear passage to the Alps. Also, the Romans couldn’t have a sound impact due to their divided attention on the revolt at Hispania and the third Mithridatic war. But as soon as the extended Roman forces were called in from Pompeii, the final battle marked the defeat of Spartacus. The war had a dramatic end with about six thousand survivors being crucified lining the way from Rome to Capua.