I am Spartacus!

10. Battle of Mount Garganus

Roma, Lazio

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In early 72BC, as winter started to break and spring dawned, the slave army of Crixus crossed the Apennines and headed towards the peninsula of Mount Garganus, at present day Monte Sant'angelo. Determined to end the rebellion, the Senate sent two legions commanded by Cossinius to the area to engage the group, which now had grown considerably in size and consisted of some 30,000 armed rebel troops. The Romans tracked down the rebel army to an encampment on the edge of the salt marshes in the shadow of Mount Garganus. It was here, in a bitterly fought battle on the soggy terrain of Lago Salso, that the Roman legionnaires triumphed. As night began to fall, Cossinius received news of the death of Cruxius and many of his men. However, it was at this moment that Spartacus' army reached the area, and as the ancient historian Plutarch describes the event, "with the suddenness of a thunderbolt fell upon the Roman legion." Catching the Romans by surprise, the counterstrike was swift and deadly. The rebel leader Cruxius, along with two thirds of his force, lost his life in the battle. Spartacus' arrival ensured the capture of over 300 Romans, and to avenge his friend's death, Spartacus set up his own gladiatorial entertainment, forcing the captured soldiers to fight each other to the death.