When Spartacus escaped the gladiator training school he may not have realised what he had started. What began as a simple bid for freedom soon became a cause for slaves around Italy, and he attracted thousands of followers.

The Romans were forced to pay attention to this enemy from within, despite the fact that there was little glory to be found fighting an army of slaves.

Guest: Dr Rhiannon Evans (Senior Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University).