From the pages of history we are aware of the slave rebellion known as the Third Servile War lead by Spartacus against Rome's tyranny. The story of Spartacus has inspired many novels, epic movies and a number of television series.
At first the slaves in revolt were victorious but eventually they were defeated with thousands being killed in battle and others captured alive. They suffered a dreadful fate at the hands of Gnaeus Pompey the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus.
It is recorded that Pompey crucified 5,000 captured slaves and Crassus a further 6,000. This drawing is of the 6,000 slaves crucified by Crassus along the Appian Way between Rome and Capua.
I have always wondered about the logistics of so many crucifixions. How many trees were felled and how long did it take to fashion them into crucifixes? And of course, there were the spikes needed to fasten the 11,000 victims to their crosses. Assuming each slave required three spikes to nail him to the cross that amounts to 33,000. The blacksmiths must have been busy.
Drawing sourced from the internet; the text is mine.
You are absolutely right, Chris.
ReplyDeleteRomans were always very “generous” in crucifying rebel and runaway slaves: for example, besides the 11,000 crucified slaves that you mention, Josephus, in his History of the destruction of Jerusalem, tells that, during the siege of the city, Titus …… only in ONE day !!!! ….. crucified more than 500 captured male Jews, with such a “crazy activity” in crucifying enemies who tried to escape from the siege, that (he tells) all the previously thick woods, in the surroundings of Jerusalem, were cut and almost completely destroyed.
The fact is, dear Chris, that CRUCIFYING SLAVES and making of the slow atrocious excruciating death on the cross a TERRIFYING EXAMPLE for all other slaves ……. was an absolutely necessity and one of the first priorities for all the Roman Society.
All the Roman social and economic system, the power, luxury and welfare of Rome, were essentially based on the existence of a very large number of slaves …. even much more numerous than free citizens ! …… and on the ruthless exploitation, even up to death, of their labour and physical strength.
Romans were perfectly aware that their slaves were not only more numerous than what free citizens were; but that slaves also deeply hated their Roman Masters and were always ready to revolt and to cut their owners’ throats !
Therefore all Romans ….. even the most “humane” Masters …… were actually FEARING their own slaves ! ….. who could kill them in every moment.
So Romans were profoundly convinced that slaves can be controlled ONLY by TERROR ! …… and frequent public crucifixions as “Examples” were one of the most effective generators of this “healthy terror” of slaves versus their Masters.
Of course all considerations about the “costs” – e.g. in terms of wood for the crosses (that anyhow were always reutilized !) and of iron for nails- is of course a fully minor “problem”.
The public and private money spent in making crosses and new nails for crucifixions, were, in the eyes of ancient Romans, one of the best and most profitable “investments ” !
In the first chapters of his famous novel “SPARTACUS”, the American writer Howard Fast describes very well the opposite state of minds of Masters and slaves at the sight of the 6,000 crucified rebel slaves at the sides of the Appian Way, while going along the road: from one side the “amused” and indifferent “curiosity” of the rich and noble Roman young men and girls, travelling along the Appian Way, and their instinctive “satisfaction” that justice and the right social order has been finally re-established against those fierce, rebellious and very dangerous wild-beasts …… from the other side, the frantic terror at that sight of their equally young, muscular litter-bearer slaves, “benevolently” treated like “docile burden-beasts” and directed and led not even with words, but just with light short lashes of their “magnanimous” Roman young Mistresses and Masters.
Karel
I'm sorry but the last sentence of the above comment should be read:
ReplyDelete"...... but just with light short lashes of the thick leather riding-quirts of their “magnanimous” Roman young Mistresses and Masters."
Karel