posted on Mar, 5 2012 @ 02:24 AM
As a result of this series, I have actually done some research into Roman history. The Spartacus series (and the Kirk Douglas movie) were
approximately 5% solid history and the rest was pure speculation by the modern writers. Roman/Greek historians, the only sources of information on
him, were thoroughly uninterested in his personal details, and mention only his mutiny and certain details of his campaign against Rome (Plutarch on
Crassus, and Appian's History, especially) and that he was killed by the Romans - but no details as to the reasons for his mutiny, whether he was
married or what happened to his wife, or the personal details of the life and household of his owner/trainer Batiatis, nor precise details of the
death of Spartacus. The story that his was double-crossed by the Romans, by Batiatis, or the "I'm Spartacus" scene (from the movie) when his men
were captured are all modern writing. There had been various stories that, wherever he had come from, he was a prince, or a shepherd, or anything in
between, and that he was inspired to mutiny because, having killed a helmeted man in the arena, he removed the helmet and then realized that he had
killed his best friend from his homeland, etc. etc.
There's something about the speaking style in the series - not quite Shakespearean, not quite Yoda, but definitely not regular English; it's like
there's always a word or two missing from every sentence. Is there a proper name for this sort of diction??
The series is definitely very instructive. Especially about what was hidden under Xena's leather armor.