Did He and his people have any slight chance of conquering all of Italy?
How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
Did He and his people have any slight chance of conquering all of Italy?
Campidoctor
Re: How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
No, Spartacus could never have conquered Italy. His only chance was escaping Italy. His best bet to do that was Sicily, which had a massive grain supply, a huge population of slaves and was actually relatively untamed, unlike the rest of Italy. As we know however, the pirates he had hired to do that, betrayed him. He could also have fled north, but then he would have the Alps to contend with and getting past Rome’s armies who had cornered him anyway.
He might have been able to do a Brennus and sack Rome itself, but he could never have conquered Italy. Rome’s power outstripped anything Spartacus and his rag-tag band of Gladiators and ex-slaves ever could have mustered. What was remarkable about Spartacus and his lot, was that they survived against Rome for as long as they did.
Last edited by isa0005; May 19, 2019 at 12:45 AM.
Re: How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
I think he would have needed siege equipment to assault Rome
Re: How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
Maybe the reason he won certain battles against the Romans was because he previously served in the Roman army and that's why he knew about their tactics
Comes Domesticorum
Re: How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
What is Spartacus' goal, be honest?
Originally Posted by Markas
Re: How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
I forget who the primary sources on the revolt are, but I think we have a secondary source in Plutarch who says they were trying to escape, and only fought the legions when they were cornered.
Does Livy say anything about it? He's a bit dodgy on the early history though, tends to whitewash.
Jatte lambastes Calico Rat
Comes Domesticorum
Re: How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
Escape to where?
hoi polloi
Re: How do you think Spartacus could have won the war against the Romans?
Well maybe Sicily if he could have arranged the hop. There had been major slave revolts for years there all predicated on the basic fact that the scale and conditions in mass roman slavery were sort of considered appalling by many of their Hellenist captives flowing in from the east. So get there provoke an uprising hold the Island. Now you get into fantasy land but maybe if you create more equitable polity you provoke the social war early and than maybe just maybe you can bring down the republic or at least maybe have time to ship out as individuals. At the time getting island would have prize for its import for Grain supplies. The Republic would be forced to buy from Egypt and that would be difficult if Italy was in turmoil. So yes if you add a lot and a lot more ifs you might just see a victory but you are in the realm of really really speculative alt history with a lot pivots not the typical one or two points.
Last edited by conon394; November 05, 2019 at 02:53 PM.
IN PATROCINIVM SVB Dromikaites
'One day when I fly with my hands - up down the sky, like a bird'
But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at such a place; some swearing, some crying for surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their children rawly left.
Hyperides of Athens: We know, replied he, that Antipater is good, but we (the Demos of Athens) have no need of a master at present, even a good one.
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