I am Spartacus!

5. Lucania Countryside

Roma, Lazio

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As the cool autumn weather settled in and the threat of winter drew closer, the slave army started heading further south towards the region of Lucania. The praetorian Varinius made the decision to track down the slaves, and he continued to shadow the motley crew that made up Spartacus' army. On the plains of Lucania, Varinius decided to attack. Unfortunately, he was dogged by further disagreements within his force, and a number of troops deserted before battle commenced. The reduced group took a severe beating, and although Varinius himself escaped, his standard, along with a number of legionaries, was captured. Spartacus showed no mercy to his prisoners, and while some suffered the pain and agony of crucifixion, others were set against each other in gladiatorial fights to entertain his troops. For the Romans, this end was a sad irony, considering their captors' origins. The land of Lucania has a rich, volcanic soil, perfect for farming, and the hills are covered with olive and lemon groves, while crops grow in plenty on the wide-open plains. Autumn was just the right time for Spartacus' men to arrive in the district. The harvest had just been gathered and the barns and cellars were well stocked. The hungry army of rebels set about pillaging food and supplies from the farms and estates along their march. The rebel army now divided its force in two, with Spartacus taking his men south of the Lucania region and Crixus taking the second group of around 20,000 men to scour the hills east and south of Vesuvius. They raided the towns of Nola and Nuceria, or present day Nocera, causing mayhem and destruction in their wake. Nola and its rich farmlands were particularly despised Nola's people had risen against Rome in the Social War and once again against General Sulla, who ultimately defeated the town in 89BC. Here, Sulla erected a villa and distributed land to his allies, living well off the fat of the land. Meanwhile, the former owners scratched a meager existence and were forced to live in absolute poverty.