Barbarians Rising

Previously on Barbarians Rising...

The ancient world

divides in two.

Rome is ambitious.

Ruthless.

Built on blood and glory.

These are Rome's lands now.

The barbarians unite

to challenge its growing power.

On Roman soil,

we are finally ready to fight!

...is a fight for our freedom.

Now, Rome spreads tyranny

as it storms across the continent,

plundering the people, as the barbarians step up the fight.

Those inbreds are still resisting.

We must bring them to heel.

But the larger Rome grows,

the more enemies it brings on the inside.

The vast barbarian army,

waiting for a leader to rise.

Rome is now the supreme power in the ancient world,

stretching across Italy, to North Africa,

through Hispania and into Gaul.

The Roman fighting machine was, um,

incredibly disciplined and organized,

and it moved with a rhythm, and with a power

that would break apart a less disciplined and well-trained force.

These were professionals.

The people beyond the borders of the Republic,

who Rome calls barbarians,

become targets in a new phase of domination.

Rome wants a number of things from the territories it conquers.

It wants wealth. It wants glory.

And it wants human capital. It wants slaves.

Rome builds its power by enslaving people from the lands it conquers,

transporting them into the Roman provinces where they're sold,

to farm its fields and fight in its armies.

An estimated 20% of the Roman population,

as many as one million people, are barbarian slaves living on Roman soil.

Slavery is nothing new to the ancient world.

What's different is the scale of Roman slavery.

This is slavery on a massive scale.

The fiercest men among them

are forced to fight for sport,

competing in the arena as gladiators.

We think immediately about the Colosseum,

we think about this huge arena,

50,000 to 60,000 spectators

egging on their favorite competitors

fighting to the death.

But the reality in the Republic was very different.

This scale was much more modest.

In the provincial amphitheaters,

you're talking about local events

that are dirty and sordid and grubby and violent.

Gladiators were subject

to every type of abuse imaginable,

both physical and sexual.

Most gladiators died in their 20s or 30s.

Uh, it's a very, very dangerous job

and life expectancy is not long.

Spartacus. My name is Spartacus.

Spartacus is a bit of an enigma to us.

It seems that he came from Thrace.

He may have been from a noble background

because the name Spartacus itself

could be an aristocratic name from that region.

It's a place known for, uh, great fighters.

So much so that the Romans incorporate those fighters into their military.

But ultimately, he is sold into slavery,

and he ends up in a Gladiatorial school in Capua.

Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!

Spartacus! Spartacus!

Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!

One thing worse than slavery

is to adjust to it.

And because it's painful and violent, most people adjust.

Spartacus?

Spartacus, the invincible.

King of the shit house!

No man would want to be in that situation,

and if there was any opportunity to get out of it, you would.

I want to give you something to remember me by.

No. No. No.

Rome tightens its grip on the Mediterranean,

and as it grows,

the future that Hannibal envisioned 140 years earlier

is now coming true.

The Republic is making slaves of the barbarians.

But one man, Spartacus, is making a break for freedom.

Let's get out of this shithole.

Crixus, no!

Swords!

Now we have two swords.

Now we have two dead soldiers and an army sure to follow.

Spartacus and a group of 60 barbarian slaves

seize the opportunity to escape,

but they break out of Capua without a plan.

He wants to get away from Capua.

Put distance between himself and his former captives.

By the same token, he needs food, he needs shelter and he needs weapons.

When they get over that wall, they gotta hit the ground running.

Law enforcement's gonna be right behind 'em,

once they figure out, you know, they're gone.

The clock is ticking as the fugitives move south.

Rome responds by dispatching a small militia to track them down.

Freedom is what's motivating these individuals

to stay out there and again, they'll fight their way out,

they'll kill somebody, they'll kill themselves,

they'll do whatever it takes, because, uh, you know, give me freedom or give me death.

Nearly every Roman household in the area holds barbarian slaves.

Spartacus' escape quickly becomes a real problem

for the wealthy estate owners of Campania.

Uh, first of all, he and his men are trained killers.

Secondly, they begin attracting other slaves to them.

Look what I found.

Let's go.

Let's get to higher ground, where we can see what's coming for us.

Here, they'll round us up like sheep.

Vesuvius?

Demons live there.

No.

They live here.

Up there, we can see for 50 miles in all directions,

we can bide our time.

You do what you want, Spartacus.

I'm going to enjoy my freedom.

Fine.

And when the Romans roast you like the pig you are,

you tell them we're going East, back to Thrace.

If you come with us, you'll likely die.

If I don't, then I'll die for sure.

Very quickly, we see Spartacus evolve.

He frees other slaves, there's strength in numbers. He secures equipment.

Most significantly, he decides

to head toward Vesuvius, his high ground, if you will.

When were you taken from Thrace?

I think maybe it was 10 years ago.

I've lost count.

They dragged us from our homes.

Burned our towns.

To my great shame, I fell into their hands...

...and, well, you know the rest.

The others are getting anxious.

Tell them to enjoy their freedom.

We've got an army snapping at our feet, my friend.

Spartacus is invincible. I know that, we all know that.

He has got a plan.

I've seen a giant fade to nothing before my eyes.

He wasn't even hurt.

He laughed at me, as if to say, "Is that the best you can do?"

I knew I had killed him.

And then he knew.

So, you are invincible then.

People like Spartacus,

like some of the slave revolts in our country,

they made a decision

that they'd rather make the effort,

to be free and risk their lives

than to spend one more day

as a slave in captivity.

Soldiers!

Roman soldiers!

How many?

200.

Maybe three.

And we're 60.

Maybe we shouldn't wait for them.

If we don't meet them here, we'll have to meet them somewhere else.

Let's show them who we are.

Three miles up the slopes of Vesuvius,

Spartacus holds his position on the high ground.

In the valley below, 300 Roman soldiers make camp.

There's only one road up and down Vesuvius.

They feel that they've got Spartacus cornered

and they merely have to wait for him to try

to foolishly fight his way out or to starve to death.

Spartacus has his men fashion ropes of vines

that they find growing on Mount Vesuvius.

And launch a surprise attack on the Romans.

By choosing to stand, by choosing to fight

and coming up with a military solution,

Spartacus is showing what kind of man he is.

Rome is rapidly expanding as it seeks to dominate the ancient world.

But some are rising up to fight back.

The defeat at Vesuvius was a complete surprise to the Romans,

they weren't expecting to be ambushed.

They thought they were dealing with fugitives

and the fugitives would run rather than that the fugitives would take the fight to them.

Best part about this, they're brothers!

Kill him.

Do it!

Kill him!

Or I'll bury you both alive.

Go to your commanders.

Tell them what you've seen here today. Go!

No more.

We are better than this.

We've got as many swords as we can carry.