Editing Marcus Licinius Crassus (section)

==Crassus and Spartacus==
Crassus was elected praetor in 73&nbsp;BC and pursued the ''[[cursus honorum]]''.

During the [[Third Servile War]], or Spartacus' revolt (73–71&nbsp;BC), Crassus offered to equip, train, and lead new troops at his own expense, after several legions had been defeated and their commanders killed in battle. Crassus was sent into battle against Spartacus by the Senate. At first, he had trouble both in anticipating Spartacus' moves and in inspiring his army to strengthen their morale. When a segment of his army fled from battle, abandoning their weapons, Crassus revived the ancient practice of [[Decimation (Roman Army)|decimation]] – i.e. executing one out of every ten men, with the victims selected by drawing lots. [[Plutarch]] reports that "many things horrible and dreadful to see" occurred during the infliction of punishment, which was witnessed by the rest of Crassus' army.<ref>Plutarch, ''Life of Crassus'', 10.2–3</ref> Nevertheless, according to [[Appian]], the troops' fighting spirit improved dramatically thereafter, since Crassus had demonstrated that "he was more dangerous to them than the enemy."<ref name="Appian-I.18-19">Appian, ''Bellum Civile'', I.18–19. Loeb Classics Edition, 1913</ref>

Afterwards, when Spartacus retreated to the [[Bruttium]] peninsula in the southwest of Italy,<ref name="Shaw-Chronology">Shaw, Brent D. Spartacus and the Slave Wars. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. p. 178–79.</ref> Crassus tried to pen up the slave armies by building a ditch and a rampart across the peninsula of Rhegium in Bruttium, "from sea to sea." Despite this remarkable feat, Spartacus and part of his army still managed to break out. On the night of a heavy snowstorm, they sneaked through Crassus' lines and made a bridge of dirt and tree branches over the ditch, thus escaping.<ref>Plutarch, ''Life of Crassus'', 10.4–6</ref>

Some time later, when the Roman armies led by Pompey and Varro Lucullus were recalled to Italy in support of Crassus, Spartacus decided to fight rather than find himself and his followers trapped between three armies, two of them returning from overseas action. In this last battle, the [[Battle of the Silarius River|battle of the Silarius river]], Crassus gained a decisive victory, and captured six thousand slaves alive. During the fighting, Spartacus attempted to personally kill Crassus, slaughtering his way toward the general's position, but he succeeded only in killing two of the centurions guarding Crassus.<ref name="Plutarch-Crassus-XI">Plutarch, ''Life of Crassus'', Chapter XI. Translated by Aubrey Stewart & George Long. London: George Bell & Sons, 1892.</ref> Spartacus himself is believed to have been killed in the battle, although his body was never recovered. The six thousand captured slaves were [[crucified]] along the [[Via Appia]] by Crassus' orders. At his command, their bodies were not taken down afterwards, but remained rotting along Rome's principal route to the south. This was intended as an object lesson to anyone especially slaves who might think of rebelling against Roman citizens and slave-owners.

Crassus effectively ended the Third Servile War in 71&nbsp;BC. In Plutarch's account, Crassus "had written to the Senate that they must summon Lucullus from Thrace and Pompey from Spain, but he was sorry now that he had done so, and was eager to bring the war to an end before those generals came. He knew that the success would be ascribed to the one who came up with assistance, and not to himself."<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 11.2</ref> He decided to attack a splinter group of rebels, and after this, Spartacus withdrew to the mountains. Pompey had arrived from Hispania with his veterans and was sent to provide reinforcements. Crassus hurried to seek the final battle, which he won. Pompey arrived in time to deal with the disorganized and defeated fugitives, writing to the Senate that "indeed, Crassus had conquered the slaves, but that he himself had extirpated the war."<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 11.7</ref> "Crassus, for all his self-approval, did not venture to ask for the major triumph, and it was thought ignoble and mean in him to celebrate even the minor triumph on foot, called the ovation,"<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 11.8</ref> nor did he wish to be honored for subduing slaves.

In Plutarch's account, Pompey was asked to stand for the consulship. Crassus wanted to become his colleague and asked Pompey for his assistance. As said in the ''Life of Crassus'', "Pompey received his request gladly (for he was desirous of having Crassus, in some way or other, always in debt to him for some favor), eagerly promoted his candidature, and finally said in a speech to the assembly that he should be no less grateful to them for the colleague than for the office which he desired."<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 12.1</ref> However, in office, they did not remain friendly. They "differed on almost every measure, and by their contentiousness, rendered their consulship barren politically and without achievement."<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 12.2</ref> Crassus displayed his wealth by realizing public sacrifices to Hercules, entertaining the populace at 10,000 tables and distributing sufficient grain to last each family three months, an act that had the additional ends of performing a previously made religious vow of a tithe to the demigod [[Hercules]] and also to gain support among the members of the popular party.

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| image2            = Head of Marcus Licinius Crassus, middle of 1st century BC, from Italy, Moi, Auguste, Empereur de Rome exhibition, Grand Palais, Paris - 14649017884.jpg
| image3            = (Venice) Pompey the Great, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.jpg
| footer            = From left to right: [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]], Crassus, and [[Pompey]]
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In Appian's account, when Crassus ended the rebellion, there was a contention over honors between him and Pompey. Neither men dismissed their armies, with both being candidates for the consulship. Crassus had been praetor as the law of Sulla required. Pompey had been neither praetor nor quaestor, and was only 34 years old, but he had promised the plebeian tribunes to restore much of their power, that had been taken away by Sulla's constitutional reforms. Even when they were both chosen consuls, they did not dismiss their armies stationed near the city. Pompey said that he was awaiting the return of Metellus for his Spanish triumph; Crassus said that Pompey ought to dismiss his army first. In the end, Crassus yielded first, offering Pompey his hand.<ref>Appian, ''Bellum Civile'', 1.121</ref>