Crixus

The Romans soon realized they were no longer facing ragtag fugitives, and in the spring of 72 BCE, the Senate retaliated with the full force of two legions.

The rebels left victorious, but many lives were lost in the battle, including Spartacus' lieutenant, Crixus.

To honor him, Spartacus held funeral games, forcing his Roman prisoners to play the role his fellow rebels had once endured, By the end of 72 BCE, Spartacus' army was a massive force of roughly 120,000 members.

But those numbers proved difficult to manage.

This is the Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium Chronicles.

I am Gaius Germanicus is here with our retired Centurion friends and our two guests, Crixus.

Crixus? Yes, Crixus and Tetrades from Gaul, but from Rome to introduce us to the idea of games here in Londinium.

We think of ourselves as a quiet little village at the edge of the Roman Empire.

There hasn't been trouble here since Boudicca met her maker.

Germanicus is Michael Fleos.

Gaius is John Batchelor.

Crixus and Tetradis are themselves.

One of those 78 was Spartacus, a Thracian and possibly a former Roman auxiliary, who deserted at some point and then got enslaved and sold into the arena.

He had two lieutenants with him, Crixus, who was a Gaul, and Odomathus, whose origins nobody ever bothered to write down.

They had no swords and no armor.

What they had was the kitchen.

He wasn't.

He beat Lentulus first, then turned around and beat Gellius, which means both sitting consuls of Rome were defeated by ex-slaves in the same season.

Crixus had split off by that point and had taken out 30,000 men toward Apulia.

Gellius caught him at Mount Garganus, or one of his praetors did.