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In
the summer of 73 BC, Rome faced a revolt unlike any it had ever known
or would experience again: a slave revolt 60,000 men strong, led by a
Thracian gladiator and ex-soldier named Spartacus. The legend has lasted
two millennia and inspired countless novels and films, but the true story
of Spartacus nearly defies belief. In THE SPARTACUS WAR (Simon & Schuster;
March 17, 2009; $26.00), historian Barry Strauss tells the captivating
story of a charismatic gladiator who built an army from only 74 gladiators
that would eventually control all of Southern Italy. Spartacus’s
slave army managed to defeat nine different Roman armies and kept the
greatest military power at bay for two years before going down in defeat.
more
“A
swift-moving, accessible chronicle of the insurgency against ancient Rome
led by the charismatic slave leader Spartacus…Strauss colorfully
illustrates the making of the durable Spartacus myth. Graphic, adrenaline-pumping
history.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“No
one presents the military history of the ancient world with greater insight
and panache than Strauss…[A] brisk, engrossing account.”
—Publishers Weekly
“His
efforts to portray the political and social milieu of Italy during the
late Republic are superbly done. Strauss sees Spartacus as a brave and
charismatic leader who was
limited by some personal shortcomings.
– Booklist
“With
his trademarks of extensive knowledge, insights and great story-telling
ability, Barry Strauss brings us as close as we can get to the enigmatic
Spartacus, the slave who defied the Roman Republic.”
—Adrian
Goldsworthy, author of Caesar: Life of a Colossus
“The
great slave revolt of the gladiator Spartacus shook the Roman world of
the first-century BC as much as it fascinates us still two millennia later.
The classicist and stylist Barry Strauss explains why all that is so in
a narrative that is as engaging to read as it is thoroughly researched.”
—Victor Davis Hanson, Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow, Classics/Military
History, the Hoover Institution
“The
long track of history—especially ancient history—is marred
by potholes and chasms of the unknown and unknowable. No contemporary
historian bridges these gaps better than Barry Strauss. He does not leap
across them so much as build elegant spans of logic, of the likely and
the possible. His raw materials are an immense knowledge base, wit and
humor, and a welcome sense for brevity. Spartacus comes alive.”
—David L. Robbins, author of War of the Rats and The
Assassins Gallery
Audiobook available on audible.com
United
Kingdom edition
A gripping account of one of the most dramatic episodes in Roman history, an accumulation of all we know about Spartacus and his campaign, based exclusively on ancient Roman, and Greek, sources and archaeological findings. Was Spartacus the first insurgent? more
Italian edition
The Italian translation of The Spartacus War is now
available: La Guerra di Spartaco (Bari: Laterza, 2009)