Who's Who: "Spartacus" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Spartacus

The movie portrays Spartacus as a man who was born into slavery; it is mentioned, in fact, that his grandfather was also a slave. Apparently he is rather rebellious, and is sent to the gladiator school as punishment. After the slave uprising begins, Spartacus is chosen to become the leader of the fugitive slaves. Their intention is to collect wealth (plunder) so that they will be able to buy passage for the group out of the Roman Empire.

While it is difficult to ascertain much about Spartacus's early life, historians believe that he was born free in Thrace, and some think that he may have even served in the Roman army. For reasons unknown, he fell out of favor and was sold into slavery. Although the movie shows Spartacus as the undisputed leader of the slaves, there were actually many factions in the group with many leaders.

Answer: Crassus

In the movie, Crassus isn't a very likeable person; he is arrogant and abuses his power. In fact, his request of a fight to death at the gladiator school is really what led to the unrest among the slaves, which, in turn, leads to the revolt. He clearly wants all of the power of Rome for himself, and will stop at nothing to get it. Realizing that page slave revolt has been a big embarrassment to the Senate, he capitalizes on the situation. The slaves cannot be allowed to simply leave. They have to be defeated, of course, by his army, and made into an example.

It is very difficult to ascertain if the movie gave an accurate portrayal of personality; it is certain, however, that Crassus grew up in turbulent times in Roman history from a family of a modest background; whatever his family had was lost during the Marian-Cinnan proscriptions. His wealth was accumulated as the result of serving the right person (Sulla) during the right time (his purges) and taking advantage of a buyer's market (confiscated properties), becoming one of the wealthiest people in the history of Rome. During the Third Servile War - also known as the War of Spartacus - Crassus offered to protect Rome with his army when it became apparent that the slaves were, in fact, threatening Rome. When his part of his army left the scene of battle, Crassus revived the practice of decimation, randomly executing one out of every ten men, which greatly improved the enthusiasm of his men for fighting. It is interesting to note that Spartacus was intent on killing Crassus. During one of the battles, he got as close as his personal guards, killing both. How would that have changed history?

Answer: Julius Caesar

In the movie, a young Julius Caesar seems to be full of indecision. Whose side should he take? When one of the faction leaders with whom he originally allied reveals that he has bribed the Cilician pirates to simply remove the slaves from Rome, Caesar goes to the other side? Why? It isn't the Roman way. The enemy must be defeated.

Historians are on both sides of the fence regarding Caesar's participation in the Third Servile War. While it is true that he certainly was somewhere around Rome at the time, many contemporary historians had plenty to say about Crassus and Pompey, but never mentioned Caesar. That would indicate that he was not involved. Why would he be included in the movie then? In all probability, it was determined that few people would have heard of Crassus and Pompey, but many had heard of Julius Caesar; he just wasn't a significant player in Rome's politics yet.

Answer: Varinia

Spartacus meets Varinia at the gladiator school of Batiatus, where she is also a slave. While Crassus is visiting the school, he not only insists that the slaves fight to the death for the entertainment of his party, he also purchases Varinia. It's difficult to decide which one of those events upsets Spartacus the most, but Varinia's exit from the school certainly incites the rebellion. After the revolt begins, Varinia is able to escape Batiatus, and finds her way to Spartacus, becoming his wife. She goes into labor before the final battle is fought, and at the end of the movie shows the crucified Spartacus their son, who will grow up as a free man.

While it appears that Spartacus was married, there is not much known about his wife, except for the fact that she was also a Thracian and from the same tribe. The Roman historian Plutarch wrote that she was a prophetess and saw a sign that showed that Spartacus "would have a great and terrible power which would end in misfortune. This woman shared in his escape and was then living with him".

Answer: Gracchus

The Roman people are growing more concerned as it appears that the revolting slaves will not be easily contained. Gracchus attempts to put as much power as he can in the hands of the young general, Julius Caesar, and also bribes the Cilician pirates to take Spartacus and his followers away from the Roman empire. The even wealthier Crassus, however, gives the pirates even more money, and the slaves are abandoned. With Rome in chaos, Crassus is given absolute power to squash the rebellion.

Senator Gracchus was a fictional character in the movie, however, the depictions of the rivalries of the different political factions in Rome at the time was real. Likewise, the fear that the revolt caused among the Romans themselves was real. The movie really didn't depict the atrocities committed by Spartacus and his followers; they were every bit as brutal as the Roman masters had been to them. There is one story that Spartacus captured 300 Romans and forced them to fight to the death. Hey! It just doesn't do to treat the slaves at the gladiator school the way the Romans did if there is ever any chance that they might escape, rebel, and seek retaliation. They were trained to kill. And the pirates? They were part of the true story except for the fact that they swindled the slaves; they took the money, but never showed to transport them out of the empire.

Answer: Batiatus

Batiatus, who owns a gladiator school, purchases Spartacus and instructs the trainer at the school to be careful with him because he thinks he "he has quality". When the wealthy Crassus arrives at the school and wants to arrange some gladiator contests to the death for amusement, Batiatus - at first - declines his offer. Those kinds of contests are dangerous for the school because they can damage morale there.


The gladiator school that was run by Batiatus was in Capua, which was well-known in ancient times for its gladiator schools. Conditions were extremely harsh there, and Roman sources depict the school owners as being brutal and vicious.

Answer: Antoninus

Antoninus escapes from the service of Crassus and joins the slave rebellion, becoming very close to Spartacus. In one of the closing scenes of the movie, Crassus is furious when Varinia remains true to Spartacus. He orders that Spartacus and Antoninus participate in a fight to the death; while the loser of the fight dies, the winner is sentenced to death by crucifixion with the other 6,000 captured slaves. Spartacus kills Antoninus in order to keep him from having to suffer such a death, and Spartacus and his followers are crucified along the Appian Way.

Antonius is a fictional character in the movie story, as is one of the most moving scenes - "I am Spartacus" - when the captured slaves refuse to identify their leader. The truth of the matter is that in reality, Spartacus was killed in the fighting, and his body was never recovered.

Answer: Marcellus

Marcellus is loathed and hated by the slaves at the gladiator school. After Varinia is sold to Crassus, he taunts Spartacus during mealtime; this, along with the ill-fated gladiatorial contest engineered by Crassus, has all the gladiators at the school tense and angry. Spartacus drowns Marcellus in the kettle of soup that is being served. The other gladiators seize kitchen goods and fight their way out of the school.

Historians are still uncertain as to the true reason for the Spartacus revolt. One can imagine, however, that if Spartacus had been a free man, who served in the Roman army, and was sold into slavery to a cruel master, he was more than just a little irritated. It is true that the rebellion began in the kitchen with the slaves using knives and other kitchen tools to subdue their guards, although the character Marcellus is not believed to have been a historic person.

Answer: Draba

Draba the Ethiopian is chosen by the friends of Crassus to fight for their entertainment. A master of the trident and net, he is paired against Spartacus who fights with a short sword. Draba defeats Spartacus in the contest, but refuses to kill him as is expected. Instead he attacks the spectators and is killed by Crassus. His death puts the entire school on edge. The next day....

Although it was not uncommon at the time for slaves to fight at the gladiator schools for the entertainment of the wealthy, it was not the cause of the Spartacus revolt as shown in the movie. It is interesting to note, however, that there is no record showing that Spartacus ever left the gladiator school to fight in an arena before the Roman crowds.

Answer: Crixus

Crixus is a slave at the gladiator school, and a friend to Spartacus. He was one of the 70 slaves who participated in the rebellion at the gladiator school, and becomes one of Spartacus's trusted generals.

Crixus was a slave at the gladiator school at the time of the Spartacus rebellion, and became one of the leaders, chosen along with Spartacus and Oenomaus at the beginning of the revolt. For reasons unknown, Crixus eventually broke away from Spartacus, taking about 30,000 people with him. Some believe that the two leaders may have had different opinions as to staying and attacking Rome or leaving the Empire altogether; others believe the split might have been a strategic move made in agreement by the two leaders. Crixus was killed in fighting before the close of the rebellion; Spartacus ordered the gladiatorial contest of 300 Romans fighting to the death in his honor.