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HoweverHowe, there are those who believe that despite the military defeat of Spartacus , some believe that his revolt changed the Roman Empire. It led to the rise of Crassus and the devastation of much of southern Italy. This article will argue that Spartacus’ rebellion succeeded in changing the Romans perception of slaves that led to improvements in the lives and status of slaves and a move away from slavery, especially in landed estates.

Spartacus was a Thracian, and he had once fought with the Romans. According to Plutarch, he was enslaved by them after he had deserted, . He was trained as a gladiator but due to his strength and combat skills he was trained as a gladiatorskater.

Instead, Spartacus marched to the south to search for loot. When they did march towards Roman again they defeated another Roman force. Crassus, one of the Rome's leading figures in Rome and probably the richest, offered his service to the Senate. He raised several legions and advanced upon Spartacus and his rebel army.<ref>Shaw, p. 71</ref>

Crassus was a shrewd tactician, and he engaged the slaves in several small encounters which he won. He forces Spartacus to retreat further south, into the ‘Toe’ of Italy. By 71 BC, the the former were encamped by the Strait of Messina. Plutarch states that Spartacus planned to ferry his army to Sicily. However, he was unable to secure the necessary ships.<ref>Plutarch, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018U5O552/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B018U5O552&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=d166e75084f232112d2cccbbbdfccecf The Life of Crassus]</i>. Vii</ref>

Spartacus tried to reach an agreement with the Romans, but Crassus was eager for battle. At the same time, Pompey was also approaching with his legions. Crassus ordered a general attack, and after fierce fighting, the army of Spartacus broke and fled. The army's remnants of the army made a last stand at the River Sele.<ref> Plutarch, The Life of Crassus. Vii</ref> Crassus attacked the slaves and demolished them. It is believed that Spartacus died in this battle. The Romans later crucified some ‘six thousand slaves on the main road to Rome.’<ref> <i>Appian</i>, p. 114</ref> This was to deter future slave revolts. Pompey the Great mopped up some of the stragglers from the battle and tried to claim the credit for the Spartacus' defeat of Spartacus.<ref> Plutarch, [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018TX5F18/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B018TX5F18&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=004592aa58fc4b584a24ccf64fdb947e Life of Pompey], iii</ref>

The defeat of Spartacus was largely a result of the leadership of Crassus. His strategy was to contain Spartacus and then weaken him by defeating elements of his army. He was able to could restrict the Thracian and his forces to a small area before forcing them into a decisive battle. Unlike other, Roman commanders , he did not underestimate the Thracian, and this was essential. <ref>Strauss, Barry. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416532064/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1416532064&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f72cd7ef29a3ba2e7265dbe4adf57a7f The Spartacus War]</i> (London, Simon & Schuster, 2009)</ref> In the aftermath of the defeat and death of Spartacus, the leadership of Crassus was widely praised. Previously, Crassus had been influential in Roman public life on account of his vast wealth.<ref>Plutarch, <i>The Life of Crassus</i>. Vii</ref> After his role in the Spartacus' defeat of Spartacus , many hailed him as the Rome's savior of Rome , and became popular.

The Third Servile War, as As it was known at the time, the Third Servile War was the largest slave revolt in the ancient world. It seemed at one time that Spartacus could bring the Roman Republic to its knees. The war devastated much of southern Italy , and many towns and landed estates were destroyed. Many slaves had been freed or escaped, and many local herdsmen had joined the rebellion.

It took many years for the South of Italy to recover, and banditry became endemic. The revolt by Spartacus even Even if it was defeated , the revolt by Spartacus possibly helped to undermine the system of landed estates that had dominated much of the Italian countryside.<ref>Plutarch, <i>The Life of Crassus</i>. Viii</ref> In the wake of the revolt, many landowners in the south of Italy were bankrupt or had their properties destroyed. The latifunda system , as it was known in the south of Italy , was undermined. It appears that in the wake of the revolt that many landlords adopted a new strategy.<ref>Shaw, p. 116</ref>

The years after Spartacus coincided with a sharp fall in the slave population. Instead of using slaves , landowners instead rented out portions of their land and in return received rent and a share of the crops grownin return. This was a system that was similar to the feudal system in medieval Europe. While many estates used slave labor, they gradually reduced the number of slaves. Spartacus's revolt had shaken the confidence of the Roman elite that they turned to new strategies for controlling their labor. Spartacus and his men had shown that slaves made an unreliable and even a dangerous labor force.<ref>Matyszak, p 114</ref>

They were rebellious at the best of time times, and parties searching for escaped slaves were a common sight in many Italian districts. This persuaded many in the elite to move away from slave labor, and this which led to the emerging emergence of a semi-feudal system in many Italian areas of Italy. This ultimately may have led to an overall fall in the number of slaves which that had grown dramatically in the previous decades. It should be noted that some historians disagree with this assessment. However, the revolt of Spartacus did not undermine the institution of slavery, and it continued to flourish until the fall of Rome.<ref>Bradley, Keith. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0253211697/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0253211697&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=93a9cd5def40a41a687b38624d6d4cae Slavery and Rebellion in the Roman World]</i> (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989), p. 156 </ref>

Spartacus's revolt changed the way that the Romans viewed slavery. In the Roman histories, there There is certainly a great deal of respect and even admiration for the Thracianin Roman histories. Plutarch stated that Spartacus was a gifted leader and general and compared him favorably to the Roman generals he faced. Some later writers argued that the revolt of Spartacus led to long-term shifts in the Roman society's view of slavery in Roman society.

There is a real possibility that the success of the Thracian gladiator 's success and his many victories so impressed the Romans that they adopted a new strategy to prevent future insurrections. There was a conscious effort by the elite to treat their slaves in a more humane way to prevent a repeat of Spartacus revolt.<ref>Bradley, 189</ref>

The revolt by Spartacus is one of the most well-known events in the ancient world. It was in many ways a decisive defeat , and slavery remained very common in its aftermath. However, the revolt was significant in the history of Rome. It led to instability and economic contraction in southern Italy and politics it . It led to the rise of Crassus. The revolt may have even managed to change the way that masters treated their slaves.

The revolt demonstrated that slaves could be dangerous , and Spartacus showed that they could be the equals of the Romans. Some elite members of the elite were encouraged to treat their slaves with more compassion to prevent another slave insurrection.

The revolt of 73-71 BCE may even have led in the longer-term to changes in the legal system that gave some rights to slaves. The devastation caused by the ex-slaves and gladiators in southern Italy led to a temporary slave shortage, and this . This led to a move away from slave labor on landed estates to an early form of feudalism. The significance of this was that it might have led to a reduction in reduced the slave numbers in many regions.

*[[What was the impact of the Emperor Tiberius on the Roman Empire?]]