Spartacus: The Myth and the Man

by M.J. Trow

Today, knowledge of the gladiator-slave Spartacus comes mostly from the 1960 Kirk Douglas epic. This exciting book traces the story of Spartacus from early slavehood to the legends which still surround his name.

Genres: Nonfiction

244 pages, Hardcover

First published March 23, 2006

About the author

Meirion James Trow is a full-time teacher of history who has been doubling as a crime writer for seventeen years. Originally from Ferndale, Rhondda in South Wales he now lives on the Isle of Wight. His interests include collecting militaria, film, the supernatural and true crime.

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Spartacus-The myth and the man' by M.J. Trow, published 2006, is a book constructed around it's title.
Spartacus the man is truthfully summed up in a single paragraph in the final chapter:- 'As so often with iconic figures of the past, we are left with a bewildering array of tantalising glimpses but very few firm sightings of Spartacus. We have some facts. He was from Thrace, but exactly where and from which tribe is unknown. The date of his birth must be guesswork; his parents names are not recorded. Perhaps he was Sparadakos and perhaps he spent his childhood as a shepherd in the mountains of Thrace-among mountains he was born and in mountains he died. He may have served with the Roman army, where his quick, fertile brain combined the experience of cutting-edge warfare with the timing and instincts of a born general. He rebelled and deserted-why is unknown, but I have suggested that he was ordered to march against his own people. Caught and sold into slavery, he became a gladiator in Capua, trained to die for the pleasure of the mob. Again he broke out, taking on ever larger and more desperate armies untill finally they brought him down. This is virtually all we know.'
The 'virtually all we know' comes from the historian Appian's 'Roman History' and Plutarch's 'Fall of the Roman Republic' & 'Lives', consequently Mr.Trow achieves a great deal in filling his book out to 225 pages.
It was Spartacus the myth, with the authors repetitive attention to Kirk Douglas, (Chapter One deals entirely with the movie), I found to be tiresome and sequacious. I am already quite aware that if I want true history, Tinseltown is the last place on earth to find it.

[Anne Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book.

Puts the fascinating story of Spartacus and his rebellion into its historical context in great detail. I really enjoyed it.

[Polly Perks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book which is clear on what we don’t know about Spartacus, but fills in as many gaps as possible with context from contemporary details. A fantastic read.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable and interesting. Trow does a solid job of supporting his thesis that Spartacus had experience as a Roman soldier. My only complaint is the he dovotes too many pages to the Kirk Douglas film.

[InfiniteLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read about half of this for dissertation research on the Roman military