Crassus

Marcus Licinius Crassus (115-52 BCE) was a Roman Politician and General who was pivotal in transforming the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
He was the richest man in the Roman Republic who defeated the Slave Revolt of Spartacus (73-71 BCE), formed the First Triumvirate (60-53 BCE) and conducted the first Roman Campaign against Persia.

Crassus was the wealthiest man in the Roman Republic, probably as a result of acquiring the Estates of men executed under Proscription by Sulla.
Pliny the Elder said that Crassus owned Estates worth 200 million Sesterces.

Spartacus was a Gladiator from Thracia, who worked in a Gladiator school at Capua owned by Lentulus Batiatus. He succeeded in overwhelming the guards and 74 Gladiators escaped.
They reached Mount Vesuvius and made it their base. Slaves started to join them from the towns and villas, and their number grew to tens of thousands. They survived by raiding the surrounding countryside.

Initially only small Roman Armies were sent against him, and these were easily defeated. The slave army reached 70,000 men. Spartacus then divided his army into two.
He moved his own army north, intending to cross the Alps, leaving Crixus behind in the South. Two Consular Armies from Rome, led by the new Governor of Sicily, easily crushed Crixus.

The Roman Senate realised the Slave Rebellion was a serious threat and named this the Third Servile War. They sent the Roman General Crassus to crush the Rebellion with ten Legions.
Spartacus’ army had swollen to 120,000 ex-slaves who were attracted by his success. Crassus confronted Spartacus, but in the battle his legionaries were defeated and some ran away.

Crassus then gave the order for Decimation. The Legionaries were divided into groups of ten. All ten had to draw lots to decide which one would die, once selected he was clubbed or stoned to death by his fellow nine legionaries. It is not known whether he applied Decimation to one Legion (500 dead) or to all ten Legions (5000 dead).

Consequently, in the next confrontation with Spartacus, 10,000 slaves were butchered, and Spartacus was forced to move his Army towards Sicily to escape on a fleet of pirate ships. Crassus surrounded his force with earthworks.
Unable to cross to Sicily, Spartacus had to break out, and lost another 12,000 slaves. This time he headed for Brindisi. Again, the Pirates failed to help and another Roman Army landed from Turkey. Spartacus was forced to turn and face Crassus, who finally defeated him, capturing 6,000 Slaves. Spartacus attempted to cut down Crassus himself but was unable to penetrate past his bodyguards. Spartacus’ body was never found.

All 6,000 prisoners were then crucified at intervals along 130 miles (210km) of the Appian Way between Rome and Capua, where Spartacus had started the Revolt. Their bodies were left on the crosses for years, as a deterrent to other slaves.

The Roman Senate had also ordered Pompey to put down the Rebellion, on his victorious return from war in Spain.
Ironically, Pompey received the greater Roman Triumph in Rome for his victory in Spain, and tried to take the credit for crushing the slave revolt as well. Crassus’ Roman Triumph was smaller as it was only against slaves, yet the threat had been greater, creating a rift between the two Generals which would emerge later.

The First Triumvirate had no official authority and was a secret alliance to dominate the politics of the Roman Republic by three of Rome’s Generals, Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus also known as Pompey.
The basis of the First Triumvirate was laid when Crassus and Pompey were elected Consuls together in 70 BCE. They both had enormous wealth but needed popularity.
In 60 BCE, Julius Caesar joined them by getting himself elected Consul for 59 BCE. Julius Caesar brought popularity into the combination of Wealth and Influence of the other two Triumvirs. Julius Caesar gave his daughter, Julia Caesaris, to become Pompey‘s fourth wife.
The First Triumvirate endured from 60-53 BCE when Crassus was killed in the Battle of Carrhae.

In 53 BCE, the First War against the Parthian Empire was conducted by the Roman Republic.
The Battle of Carrhae (53 BCE) was conducted by Crassus and a Roman Army of 7 Legions and their Auxiliaries against the Parthians.
The result was a total defeat where Crassus and his son were killed, and the Roman army returned home with only 10,000 survivors, leaving 20,000 dead and 10,000 taken prisoner.
This defeat was in complete contrast to Julius Caesar‘s success in the Gallic Wars (58-51 BCE), where Gaul fell to the Romans.
Thirtythree years later, in 20 BCE, Augustus negotiated with the Parthian Emperor Phraates IV to return the lost Eagles of the Legions and any surviving prisoners, in exchange for the return of his son and the acceptance of an Italian wife who became Queen Musa of Parthia.
Augustus celebrated their return by housing the Eagles in a specially built Temple, minting new coins, and declaring that Parthia had submitted to Rome in his Res Gestae Divi Augusti.

Carrhae near Harran, Turkey