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Spartacus leads a slave revolt across Italy

73–71 BCE, Italy. An event.

Where and when

73–71 BCEItaly

about 2,098 years ago

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, Italy

Escaped gladiators led by Spartacus raise an army of slaves and beat several Roman armies before Crassus crushes them. Plutarch says the young Cato served in the war as a volunteer.

When the servile war was in progress, which was called the war of Spartacus, Gellius was commander, while Cato took part in his campaign as a volunteer, for the sake of his brother; for his brother Caepio was a military tribune.

Plutarch, Life of Cato the Younger 8.1Translated by Bernadotte Perrin (1919)Read the full passage (Plutarch, Life of Cato the Younger 8.1, opens scaife.perseus.org)

Background: Third Servile War, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

Crassus and Pompey used their victories to win the consulship of 70 BCE, and their actions as consuls helped transform the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.

Based on Wikipedia: Third Servile War

Pompey and Crassus exploited their successes to further their political careers, using their public acclaim and the implied threat of their legions to sway the consular elections of 70 BCE in their favor.

Their actions as consuls greatly furthered the subversion of Roman political institutions and contributed to the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.

Wikipedia, Third Servile War (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-08-22. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. 73–71 BCEThis momentSpartacus leads a slave revolt across Italy
  2. 58–50 BCEabout 15 years later Caesar begins the conquest of Gaul Also about war and empire
  3. 55 BCEabout 18 years later Caesar on why he would cross to Britain Also about war and empire
  4. 49 BCEabout 24 years later Caesar puts the republic's dignity before life Also in Italy
  5. 44 BCE, written laterabout 29 years later Cicero on his forced leisure Also in Italy
  6. 43 BCEabout 30 years later The death of Cicero, as Plutarch tells it Also in Italy

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