About Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Spartacus: Blood and Sand begins with an unnamed Thracian’s involvement in the war against the Getae in Roman auxiliary under the command of the legatus, Claudius Glaber. Glaber, persuaded by his wife Ilithyia to seek greater glory, instead decides to head east to confront the forces of Mithradates. The Thracian, feeling betrayed, leads a mutiny against Glaber, and manages to make it back in time to save his wife Sura from a band of Getae. However, he is unable to save his village. The Thracian and his wife are captured by Glaber the next day; the Thracian is condemned to die in the arena for inciting mass desertion of the auxiliary, and Sura is condemned to slavery. The Thracian, with a group of other deserters, is transported to Capua where prior to the gladiatorial games, a feast is hosted by senator Albinius. Among those invited is Lentulus Batiatus, lanista (owner) of a local gladiatorial ludus, his wife Lucretia, and his rival Solonius. During the next day’s games, Glaber sends the Thracian into the arena against four of Solonius’ gladiators expecting him to be killed. However the Thracian kills his opponents and the crowd cheers “live” wanting his life to be spared. While Glaber demands the Thracian’s death, Albinius commutes the prisoner’s punishment to slavery. Seeing the Thracian’s skill and popularity with the crowd, Batiatus purchases him for training in his ludus. Since no-one knows the prisoner’s true name, Batiatus names him “Spartacus”, because he fought like the ferocious Thracian king of that name

Spartacus joins Batiatus’ ludus under the tutelage of Doctore, a former gladiator. Here he is befriended by Varro, a Roman who sold himself into slavery in order to pay his debts. However, he is persistently harassed by the senior gladiators, notably by Crixus, an undefeated Gaul, and Barca, a Carthaginian. Soon, Spartacus is visited by Glaber who informed him that Sura was sold-off to a Syrian slave trader after being raped by Glaber’s men. Glaber gives Spartacus a piece of fabric which Sura wore around her thigh as proof, and states that he no longer seeks a quick death of Spartacus, but rather wishes to see him tormented slowly. Batiatus, who has been unable to control Spartacus during his first days of training, discovers the instrument of his taming, and persuades Spartacus to fight for his and Sura’s freedom. At length, Spartacus passes his final test and becoming a gladiator, whereupon he is branded with the Batiatus’ mark as he swears the gladiator’s oath, the sacramentum gladiatorum.

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Spartacus Blood and Sand