Spartacus as Symbol of Liberation
by prof. Edith Hall
Spartacus as Symbol of Liberation
by prof. Edith Hall
by prof. Edith Hall
In 73 BCE the enslaved Thracian gladiator led a revolt of slaves and impoverished freemen which nearly turned into a victorious revolution capable of bringing down the Roman Empire. Although the revolt failed, ancient historians including Plutarch and Appian wrote in glowing terms about Spartacus's bravery, intelligence, discipline and egalitarian principles. When these sources were reassessed in the era of the European Enlightenment, Spartacus came to inspire not only campaigners for the abolition of slavery but for decolonisation, working-class rights, universal suffrage and socio-economic equality. This lecture reconstructs what we know about the ancient slave revolt and traces its reception from 18th century until Stanley Kubrick's celebrated movie Spartacus (1960) starring Kirk Douglas.
Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at the University of Durham. She has published more than thirty books, including, with Henry Stead, A People's History of Classics: Class and Greco-Roman Antiquity in Britain and Ireland 1669-1939 (2020) and Greek and Roman Classics in the British Struggle for Social Reform (2016). She leads a campaign to introduce Classical Civilisation and Ancient History courses across the UK state school sector, broadcasts regularly on the BBC, and was elected to a Fellowship of the British Academy in 2022.
Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at the University of Durham. She has published more than thirty books, including, with Henry Stead, A People's History of Classics: Class and Greco-Roman Antiquity in Britain and Ireland 1669-1939 (2020) and Greek and Roman Classics in the British Struggle for Social Reform (2016). She leads a campaign to introduce Classical Civilisation and Ancient History courses across the UK state school sector, broadcasts regularly on the BBC, and was elected to a Fellowship of the British Academy in 2022.
