As the warrior slept, a snake coiled around his face. Instead of a threat, his wife saw an omen– a fearsome power that would lead her husband to either glory or doom. For now, however, he was only a slave – one of millions taken from the territories conquered by Rome to work the mines, till the fields, or fight for the crowd’s entertainment. A nomadic Thracian from what is now Bulgaria, he had served in the Roman Army but was imprisoned for desertion. His name was Spartacus.
當戰士入睡時, 一條蛇在他的臉上盤繞起來。 他的妻子看到的不是威脅, 而是一個預兆—— 一股可怕的力量會引導 她的丈夫邁向榮耀或毀滅。 然而,目前,他還只是個奴隸—— 數百萬個奴隸中的一個, 羅馬從他們所征服的領土 奴役這些人到礦坑工作、 在田地耕作, 或為了娛樂群眾而格鬥。 一位遊牧的色雷斯人, 來自現在的保加利亞, 他在羅馬軍中服役, 卻因擅離職守而被囚禁。 他的名字叫做斯巴達克斯。
Spartacus had been brought to Capua by Batiatus, a lanista, or trainer of gladiators. And life at the ludus, or gladiator school, was unforgiving. New recruits were forced to swear an oath “to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword,” and to obey their master’s will without question. But even harsh discipline couldn’t break Spartacus’s spirit. In 73 BCE, Spartacus led 73 other slaves to seize knives and skewers from the kitchen and fight their way out, hijacking a wagon of gladiator equipment along the way. They were done fighting for others– now, they fought for their freedom.
巴提亞斯是位 lanista, 即是角鬥士的訓練師, 他將斯巴達克斯帶到卡普阿。 而在角鬥士學校(ludus)的 生活是非常無情的。 新人會被強迫要立誓 「要被燒、被綁、 被打、被劍殺害」, 且要遵守主人的意願, 不得有任何疑異。 但,即使有這麼嚴厲的紀律, 也無法摧毀斯巴達克斯的志氣。 在西元前 73 年,斯巴達克斯 帶領另外 73 名奴隸 從廚房奪取刀子 和烤肉叉子,一路殺出去, 在路上還劫持了一台 角鬥士使用的馬車。 他們不想再為他人而戰了—— 現在,他們要為他們的自由而戰。
When the news reached Rome, the Senate was too busy with wars in Spain and the Pontic Empire to worry about some unruly slaves. Unconcerned, praetor Claudius Glaber took an army of three thousand men to the rebel’s refuge at Mount Vesuvius, and blocked off the only passage up the mountain. All that remained was to wait and starve them out– or so he thought. In the dead of night, the rebels lowered themselves down the cliffside on ropes made from vines, and flanked Glaber’s unguarded camp. Thus began the legend of Rome’s defiant gladiator.
當消息傳到羅馬, 元老院因為西班牙 和本都王國的戰爭而太過忙碌, 沒空擔心一些難駕馭的奴隸。 裁判官克勞狄斯 格拉柏爾不太在乎, 只帶了一支三千人的軍隊, 前往叛軍位在 維蘇威火山的庇護所, 阻斷了上山唯一的通路。 剩下要做的就只有等待, 等他們太飢餓被迫出來—— 至少他是這麼想的。 在夜闌人靜時, 叛軍用藤蔓做成的繩子, 把自己向下垂降到懸崖邊, 從側面襲擊格拉柏爾 沒有防衛的營地。 因此,羅馬目空一切的 角鬥士傳奇就此展開。
As news of the rebellion spread, its ranks swelled with escaped slaves, deserting soldiers, and hungry peasants. Many were untrained, but Spartacus’s clever tactics transformed them into an effective guerrilla force. A second Roman expedition led by praetor Varinius, was ambushed while the officer bathed. To elude the remaining Roman forces, the rebels used their enemy’s corpses as decoy guards, stealing Varinius’s own horse to aid their escape.
隨著反叛的消息傳開, 叛軍軍隊越來越壯大, 逃脫的奴隸、 逃兵、飢餓的農夫都加入了他們。 許多人都未過受訓練, 但斯巴達克斯的聰明戰術 將他們轉變成為有效的游擊部隊。 第二次羅馬遠征是由 裁判官瓦利尼烏斯領導, 當他在洗澡時,軍隊被伏擊。 為了要避開剩下的羅馬軍力, 叛軍用其敵人的屍體 當作誘餌衛兵, 偷走了瓦利尼烏斯自己的馬, 來協助他們逃脫。
Thanks to his inspiring victories and policy of distributing spoils equally, Spartacus continued attracting followers, and gained control of villages where new weapons could be forged. 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.
靠著他鼓舞人心的勝利 及平等分配戰掠物的政策, 斯巴達克斯持續吸引追隨者加入, 取得村落的控制權, 在那些地方鍛造武器。 羅馬人很快就發現,他們面對的 已經不是下層的逃犯, 在西元前 72 年春天, 元老院用兩個軍團 全力出擊來報復, 叛軍雖然獲得勝利, 但在戰爭中失去了許多人, 包括斯巴達克斯的指揮官克雷斯。 為了向他致敬,斯巴達克斯 舉行了葬禮競賽, 強迫他的羅馬囚犯扮演 他的叛軍伙伴們以前 要忍受扮演的角色。
By the end of 72 BCE, Spartacus’ army was a massive force of roughly 120,000 members. But those numbers proved difficult to manage. With the path to the Alps clear, Spartacus wanted to march beyond Rome’s borders, where his followers would be free. But his vast army had grown brash. Many wanted to continue pillaging, while others dreamed of marching on Rome itself. In the end, the rebel army turned south– forgoing what would be their last chance at freedom.
西元前 72 年年末, 斯巴達克斯的軍隊已經是 十二萬人的強大軍力。 但事實證明,這麼多人太難管理。 通往阿爾卑斯山脈的路已通, 斯巴達克斯想要行軍 到羅馬的邊境之外, 在那裡,他的追隨者 就能得到自由。 但他浩大的軍隊變得越來越亂。 許多人想要繼續掠奪, 其他人則夢想著逼向羅馬。 最終,叛軍軍隊轉向南—— 放棄他們獲得自由的 最後一次機會。
Meanwhile, Marcus Licinius Crassus had assumed control of the war. As Rome’s wealthiest citizen, he pursued Spartacus with eight new legions, eventually trapping the rebels in the toe of Italy. After failed attempts to build rafts, and a stinging betrayal by local pirates, the rebels made a desperate run to break through Crassus’s lines– but it was no use. Roman reinforcements were returning from the Pontic wars, and the rebels’ ranks and spirits were broken. In 71 BCE, they made their last stand. Spartacus nearly managed to reach Crassus before being cut down by centurions. His army was destroyed, and 6000 captives were crucified along the Appian Way– a haunting demonstration of Roman authority.
同時,馬庫斯李錫尼克拉蘇 取得了戰爭的掌控權。 身為羅馬最富裕的公民, 他用八個新軍團 去追擊斯巴達克斯, 最後把叛軍困在義大利的足尖部。 (註:義大利版圖像靴子狀) 嘗試建造木筏失敗, 又被當地的海盜背叛, 從背後捅了一刀, 叛軍絕望之下只得衝破 克拉蘇的戰線—— 但沒有用, 羅馬增援的軍隊已經 從本都王國的戰爭返回, 叛軍的隊伍和氣魄都被摧毀了。 西元前 71 年, 他們做出最後一搏。 斯巴達克斯幾乎就要 殺到克拉蘇面前, 卻被百人隊隊長給阻斷。 他的軍隊被摧毀, 有六千名俘虜延著亞壁古道 被釘在十字架上—— 做為羅馬權威的展示, 讓人難以忘懷。
Crassus won the war, but it is not his legacy which echoes through the centuries. Thousands of years later, the name of the slave who made the world’s mightiest empire tremble has become synonymous with freedom– and the courage to fight for it.
克拉蘇贏得戰爭, 但數個世紀來迴響的 卻不是他留下的事蹟。 數千年後, 這個撼動了世界上 最強大帝國的奴隸的名字 變成了自由的同義詞—— 以及為了自由而戰的勇氣。