SkillBuilder discussion Historical signiýcance 1. What sort of tribe did Spartacus belong to? 2. Where did he lead his army? 3. Describe what made Spartacus different from others. Did you know? Slaves had no rights until Emperor Claudius banned torturing them. Most lived harsh lives, while a few gained freedom.
SOURCE4 From an account of the slave revolt by the Greek historian, Plutarch (c. 46–120 CE)
Spartacus ... was a Thracian from the nomadic tribes and not only had a great spirit and great physical strength, but was ... most intelligent and cultured ... Spartacus had grown to be a great and formidable power but ... could not expect to prove superior to the whole power of Rome, and so he began to lead his army towards the Alps ... His men, however, would not listen to him. They were strong in numbers and full of conýdence ... ... both consuls were sent out to deal with what was considered a major war and a most difýcult one to ýght ...
SOURCE5 From Plutarch’s description of the ýnal battles of the revolt
Crassus’s troops killed 12 300 men, but he found only two of them who were wounded in the back. All the rest died ... ýghting back against the Romans. ... Spartacus ... surrounded by enemies, still stood his ground and died ýghting to the last.
5.7 SkillBuilder activity HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND INTERPRETATIONS Spartacus led a major slave revolt starting in 73 BCE, which scared Roman rulers. Known as the Third Servile War, it was crushed by eight Roman legions in 71 BCE. Spartacus became a legend. He inspired the novel, Spartacus, by Howard Fast and a 1960 Hollywood movie and later the Netþix series, The Roman Empire . State your view on whether Spartacus should be regarded as having historical signiýcance. Consider the following.
1. How important was his rebellion? 2. How many people were affected?
3. To what extent were people’s lives changed? 4. How long-lasting were the consequences?
5.7
Exercise
Learning pathways LEVEL1 1, 2, 3, 4
LEVEL2
LEVEL3
5, 6, 8
7, 9, 10
REMEMBER AND UNDERSTAND 1. Which group beneýted the mostly from slavery? A. Magistrates B. Slaves C. Wealthy, free citizens D. Women 2. Identify what you think would have been the worst jobs for slaves. 3. Which reason did not help the gladiators to revolt?
A. They had combat experience and skills. B. They had a strong leader in Spartacus. C. They could easily escape their masters. D. Many were angry about their treatment.
152 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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