Spartacus and the Slave Wars: A History from Beginning to End

by Hourly History

Spartacus and the Slave Wars Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. Spartacus has passed into legend as an enduring symbol of righteousness in his noble battle for the freedom of man. This transcendent icon did not appear from the aether and had plenty of inspiration from the brave and often forgotten figures that stood before him. The actions of Spartacus and his rebellion against the Roman Republic offer a unique look into the details of commercial slavery in Rome, and its long-lasting effects on the evolution of a nation. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Roman Acquisition of Slaves ✓ Life as a Roman Slave ✓ Runaway Slaves and the Stirrings of Rebellion ✓ The First and Second Servile Wars ✓ The Mysterious Origins of Spartacus ✓ Spartacus Leads an Army ✓ A Rebellion Defeated And much more! This book will take you through the Servile Wars, also known as the Slave Wars, which were a series of slave rebellions over a 60-year period of the Roman Republic’s history. Occurring in relatively quick succession, each Servile War increased in strength and fervor, until Spartacus and his allies nearly managed to bring the Republic to its knees.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Historical, Ancient History, Ebooks

111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 16, 2018

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any fiction or nonfiction book set in ancient Rome, even before the era of emperors, has my full interest. I also think everyone has at least heard about Spartacus and his rebellion against slavery and against Rome. So obviously I didn't hesitate to read this book as soon as I got my hands on it. I'm so glad I was not disappointed!

This book went quite deep into the business of slavery in the ancient world and how it shaped Roman life. There are chapters about the Roman acquisition of slaves, about runaway slaves and the first stirrings of rebellion as well as the mysterious origins of Spartacus and much more. To be honest, I got a lot more information about it all than I had thought I would. I was really happy about that!

Overall, Spartacus and the Slave Wars: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History was a riveting and quick read that goes deep into the Servile Wars and Spartacus. It had barely 40 pages so it can easily be read in one sitting but even so it was a big page-turner full of fascinating facts. Highly recommended!

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

For one of the one hour history books that Amazon puts out this seemed to be one of the best I have read to date. I have just finished reading a biography of Caesar and there was really little mention of the conditions of servitude for slaves and this was very informative.
Also the Roman characters portrayed were enlightening.
The one fault that I saw was that in the last paragraph before the conclusion the author interpreted what the generals were thinking about the Senate and I am wondering if this is supported by facts somewhere.
It is a fast read and both informative and easy reading.

[Jefrois · Rating 2 out of 5]

.
Right off the bat, a really really really REALLY REALLY REALLY Major lesson in how slavery was evil.

Also:

“…archaeological and genetic studies show that less than 1% of Roman slaves had roots outside of Europe…possibly the result of piracy in Southern Italy for the purpose of procuring slaves. The genetic profile of Roman slaves in this period was primarily that of Gauls, Germans, Britons, and even Greeks…..”

Even some owners who gave their slaves “rights” might be gosh-darn just evil and have evil motives:

“…Slaves made up such a large population of the Republic that Roman citizens, understandably, had a genuine fear of slave uprisings or rebellions.

“It would follow that such a fear of being overpowered would inspire some Romans to perhaps treat slaves as more than property, granting them the most basic of human rights.”
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A rather mediocre near-history of Spartacus and his slave-rebellion. Also. Needs an editor.
.

[Van Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heroic Slaves of Rome

Hourly History deserves kudos for yet another winner in its entertaining series of histories about Ancient Rome with “Spartacus and the Slave Wars.” Mind you, apart from Spartacus himself, I’d never heard of the fire breathing leader of the First Servile War. Whoever the author was, he or she has done an admirable job of organizing the subject matter in a coherent way so that everything lines up in perfect perspective. Initially, we’re briefed about the different classes of slaves and rules that governed both their conduct as well as their masters before Spartacus takes center stage. Makes me want to go back and watch again Kubrick’s epic biography of the rebellious slave. The writing is concise and to the point as the best installments in this series are. Altogether, “Spartacus and the Slave Wars” serves as an insightful primer on its subject matter.

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction to ancient legend

This Hourly History was a little uneven in detail
well documented at the beginning setting up how the Roman Republic worked with slaves and how they became slaves to begin with the actual wars themselves lack depth and information but as it was stated there was a bias by Roman Historians but impact and influence of these wars was well indicated in this book and does spark interest in further inquiry

[Bob Raleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good review.

A little history of slavery in Rome, followed by the episode if the servile wars and Spartacus. Im sure the alloted length of the book did not allow more detailed panorama of the Roman Republic of the time. A quick summary may be in order. An interesting story and an enlightenment over what we have as popular lore today.

[Randolph Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slavery is an Evil Practice and Rome Paid Dearly For It

I was unaware that there had been two Slave Wars before the one in which Spartacus was one of the leaders. Like the other books in this series it was concise but it presented a great of information and understanding about the Slave Wars against the Roman Republic.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

He aquí otro claro ejemplo de que la lucha por la libertad y los derechos humanos siempre ha existido, incluso aún en tiempos tan remotos como los de Espartaco. Una lectura muy interesante para quienes estén dispuestos a conocer un poco más acerca de la República Romana, sus guerras y sus héroes. Espero que ‘Hourly History’ siga sacando libros en español. 4/5

[Shaun Heuston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent brief history

Well written and concise and devoting equal information on all three Servile wars, I would highly recommend this anyone who needs a brief lesson on this aspect of Roman history. Well done!

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW WOW WOW!!!

Omg that was amazing. Take note, other Hourly History writers, this is how its done. What an incredible period in history. What an incredibly written piece of work!! I wish I could give it 15 stars!! Thank you for making me excited about history!! Yaaaaaay!!!

[Joseph McDorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roman History

This book is a great overview of the slave wars. It is concise and we'll thought out. It provide a great bridge that connects the Punic War to the fall of the republic.

[Joseph Donigian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short to the point and taught me something.

I know some historical information on the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and such but not a lot about the Roman Republic. This helped fill that gap.

[David Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enough

I knew little to nothing about Spartacus that he was a slave trained as a gladiator.
It placed him in time when the Republic was weakened and the revolt though failed brought about lasting change in the lives of slaves .

[Robert B. McCready · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

A very interesting read on one of the fight for freedom against the Roman Empire that all most did it.

[Greg Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work

This is a short, but excellent work on the slave wars against Rome. It is well with reading as the author captured the mind of men and the essence of Rome.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a remarkable amount in only an hour - big fan of this series and have not been disappointed.

[George L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than Cory Booker

A nice quick read about the Roman slave revolts focusing on Spartacus. If you don't know about the topic, this little book is a good start.

[josette ringuette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Good information. Easy to read and kept a good flow of information. Learn something interesting in an hour. Nice. Thanks

[Mike O'Donnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read

This is more of a long essay than a book. I enjoyed the history lesson even though it lacked detail. Great read for those who want an overview of the slave wars.

[Frances Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

◾Me gustó mucho esta historia
◾No sabía casi nada de Espartano
◾Muy interesante su historia. Muy valiente!
◾La vida de los esclavos triste y miserable
◾Y todavía nos quejamos 😔

[coli james campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

History

Great read enjoyed 😁 it lots I did not know lots of research into writing this is book well done

[thomas palu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book easy read

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look

Another good read from Hourly History. I didn't know there were 3 slave uprisings. Now I might find a longer book on Spartacus.

[Sue Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspiring

Very well written. Interesting and engaging. Definitely a great account of history. Should be taught in schools. Recommend reading it.

[Thomas Hildy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good and accurate Spartacus story.

Well done historically. A great read.
The 1960 movie is well worth watching again. Had 2 years of Latin in school and this was well understood.

[Nila Eslit · Rating 5 out of 5]

The term slavery is, in itself, oppressive. Almost always, slaves are subjected to unthinkable suffering under their masters. It’s no surprise, therefore, that when given the chance, these bondservants resort to rebellion. In fact, one of the greatest revolts in history is recorded in the book, ‘Spartacus and the Slave Wars’.

Spartacus was a popular name on both the silver screen and television. In 1960, a film about him was produced in the United States. And, in 2010 – 2013 a television series was aired in the US, New Zealand, and Australia.

But, who was Spartacus?

Behind the character projected in film and television, Spartacus was a real person. He was a man from Thrace. Although his existence was shrouded in mystery, he lived during the time of the Roman Republic. That was centuries before the Anno Domini.

The Caste System

Spartacus and the Slave Wars looks back to the history of ancient Rome. That was when the government system was called the Roman Republic. During this period, the social structure was characterized by a complex caste system. Each resident of the land belonged to a certain social stratum. The most powerful Roman citizen was called Cives Romani, while the lowest in the strata is the slave. Non-Roman-born people were either granted or denied citizenship and rights, depending on several factors. A person may also be degraded to a slave for some reason.

The Roman elite acquired many slaves. These bondservants were not given any protection or privilege in society. Worse, they did not possess legal personhood, at all.

The Slave Wars

The strict rules and regulations in Rome reduced many people to slavery. Slaves under the Roman Republic were subjected to unthinkable suffering. For one, they were made to wear a metal collar with engraved names of their owners. Those without collars were tattoed in highly visible parts of their body, such as the forehead.

Due to severe oppression, the slaves decided to organize themselves. And so, a series of revolts occurred starting in 135 B.C. The First Servile War was led by Eunus, a slave from Syria. While the second rebellion was led by Salvius.

After the failure of the two uprisings, the slaves once again bonded together. Initially, they chose three gladiators to lead them. The three leaders were Crixus, Oenomaus of Gaul, and Spartacus. It was under Spartacus’ leadership that the slaves made a mark in Roman history.

Follow the details of how the slaves organized themselves and fought the well-equipped Roman soldiers of the time. Read Spartacus and the Slave Wars and know more about the legendary man.

Spartacus and the Slave Wars: The Book

Spartacus and the Slave Wars is an interesting and informative read. The book presents great information about how the slaves took the courage to rebel against an oppressive regime. It’s also interesting to know how the Third Servile War became the catalyst for change in the treatment of slaves.

I commend Hourly History for producing this concise history of the slave wars. Overall, I give Spartacus and the Slave Wars a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book to students, History teachers, and readers of any age group. There are several things to learn from this book.

NOTE: The above review is also found in Books for All Seasons.

[Neil Brunton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginners .

Enjoyable quick read which may whet your appetite to read more about this period in history.
First and foremost worth a read .