First Servile War facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Servile War |
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| Part of the Servile Wars | |||||||
.png) Maximum territory controlled by the slaves |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Roman Republic | Slaves of Sicily | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| L. Cornelius Lentulus (135) L. Plautius Hypsaeus (135) T. Manlius Torquatus (134) C. Fulvius Flaccus (134) T. Manlius Torquatus (134) L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi (133) M. Perperna (133–132) P. Rupilius (132) |
Eunus (POW) Cleon † Comanus † |
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The First Servile War (135–132 BC) was a big slave rebellion against the Roman Republic. It happened in Sicily, an island that was part of the Roman Empire. The revolt began in 135 BC when Eunus, a slave from Syria, started a movement. He claimed to be a prophet and, with about 400 other slaves, took over the city of Enna in the middle of Sicily.
Soon after, Cleon, another slave from Cilicia, led his own group. They captured the city of Agrigentum on the southern coast. Cleon then joined forces with Eunus, becoming his main military leader. Eunus even declared himself king, taking the name Antiochus, like the rulers from his home country, Syria.
The former slaves then moved to the eastern coast. They gained control of Catana and Tauromenium. This success inspired smaller revolts in other places, even as far away as Delos in the Aegean Sea. Eunus and Cleon managed to stop several Roman attempts to end their rebellion. However, in 134 BC, a Roman army led by consul Publius Rupilius arrived in Sicily. He began to surround the cities held by the slaves. The revolt finally ended in 132 BC when Enna and Tauromenium were captured by the Romans.
Contents
Why the Slaves Rebelled
After the Second Punic War, the Carthaginians were forced out of Sicily. This led to big changes in who owned land there. People from Italy, especially Romans, rushed to the island. They bought large areas of land very cheaply. They also took over estates that belonged to Sicilians who had supported Carthage. These lands were taken by Rome after their owners were punished or fled.
The new Roman landowners in Sicily treated their slaves much more harshly than before. They often did not give their slaves enough food or clothes. Many new slaves were brought in from places like Macedonia and by pirates. This made slaves very cheap. It was more profitable for masters to work their slaves extremely hard until they died. Then, they would just buy new ones.
Slaves worked in the fields from early morning until late at night. They often had chains on their legs. At night, they were locked in small, stuffy underground rooms. Because they didn't get enough food, many slaves had to steal to survive. The Roman government, the Roman Senate, did not do enough to stop this bad treatment. This made Sicily, which was a beautiful and fertile place, become a very difficult and dangerous place to live for slaves.
The Slave Uprising Begins
In 135 BC, the slaves on the farms in Sicily finally rebelled. Their leader was Eunus, who was from Syria. Eunus was a clever speaker and claimed to be a prophet. He had often said that he would become king one day. His owner used to have him perform magic tricks at parties, like breathing fire. During these shows, Eunus would joke that the rich people listening would become slaves. He also said he would be king. He even promised to spare those who gave him tips. When the revolt happened, he did save some of those people.
The revolt started when a group of slaves, who were treated very cruelly by their owner Damophilus, asked Eunus for advice. Eunus declared that his prophecy was coming true. He gathered about 400 slaves and attacked Enna, a major city in the middle of the island. This city was also where Damophilus lived. The city was not ready for the attack and was taken over by the rebels. They treated the people of the city harshly. However, they spared the metalworkers, chaining them to their workshops to make weapons. Damophilus was killed after being paraded through the city. His wife was also killed by her own servants. Their daughter, who had been kind to the slaves, was saved by the rebels and taken safely to the Roman soldiers in Catana.
After taking Enna, Eunus crowned himself king. He took the name Antiochus, a name used by the Seleucids who ruled his homeland of Syria. He called his followers, who soon numbered in the tens of thousands, "Syrians." After Enna was captured, the revolt quickly grew. A Greek slave named Achaeus was made commander-in-chief by Eunus. Another group of 5,000 slaves in the south, led by Cleon, also rebelled and captured Agrigentum. They then joined Eunus's forces. The slave army grew very fast. Some say it reached 70,000 people, while others claim it was as many as 200,000, including men, women, and possibly children.
Roman Response and End of the War
The Roman general Lucius Hypsaeus marched with local soldiers to stop the revolt, but the slaves defeated his army. They then defeated three other Roman generals. By the end of the year, the slaves controlled almost the entire island. In 134 BC, the Roman Senate sent Flaccus, a consul (a high-ranking Roman official), to end the revolt. However, his efforts did not lead to a clear victory.
A year later, in 133 BC, the new consul Lucius Calpurnius Piso was given the same task. This time, his efforts showed results. He recaptured Messana and put 8,000 slaves who had surrendered to death. He then began to surround the important town of Tauromenium on the northeast coast, but he couldn't capture it.
The revolt was finally completely crushed the next year by Publius Rupilius. He also surrounded Tauromenium and captured it quite easily. This was helped by some people inside the town who betrayed the slave army. All the prisoners taken when the town fell were treated harshly and then thrown from a cliff. Next, Rupilius marched on Enna, which had become the main center of the revolt. One of the slave leaders, Cleon, had taken shelter there. Cleon died from injuries he got trying to break through the Roman siege lines. Enna fell soon after, again with help from traitors inside its walls. The remaining parts of the slave army on the island were quickly defeated. About 20,000 prisoners were killed by Rupilius as punishment.
Not much is known about what Eunus did during the war. His enemies wrote about him, and they often gave credit for his victories to his general Cleon. But Eunus must have been a very capable leader to stay in charge throughout the war. He was captured after Tauromenium fell, found hiding in a pit. He was taken to the city of Morgantina to await punishment, but he died from an illness before he could be judged.
The First Servile War lasted from 135 to 132 BC. It was the first of three major slave revolts against the Roman Republic. The last and most famous of these revolts was led by Spartacus.
Images for kids
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Maximum territory controlled by the slaves
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A bronze coin made by Eunus, who called himself Antiochus. It shows the head of Demeter on one side and a grain ear on the other.
