Crassus and Rome’s Brutal Decimation

To defeat Spartacus, this Roman general did the unthinkable… he killed thousands of his own soldiers.

Rome’s richest man, Crassus, had one shot to crush the slave rebellion before

rival general Pompey stole the spotlight. So he revived a punishment extinct for 150 years—decimation—forcing

every tenth man in a failed unit to bludgeon their comrades to death. Terror worked: 40,000

legionnaires marched like machines, cornering Spartacus against Mount Vesuvius. Spartacus broke

the siege at night, but 30,000 rebels splintered off—easy pickings. Crassus chased the

rest south, crucifying 6,000 survivors along 200 km of the Appian Way as billboards

of Roman fury. In the final clash, Spartacus charged straight at Crassus, slashing through