Legendary Warriors - Niue - 1oz. - Spartacus - (BU)

As the eighth release in the exclusive Warrior Series this silver round features Spartacus. The first in the series is Eric Bloodaxe, the second being Julius Caesar, the third being Achilles, the fourth being Alexander The Great, the fifth being Genghis Khan, the sixth being Geronimo and the seventh being Joan of Arc. This round commemorates Spartacus, he who led the third and largest slave revolt against Rome. His army of nearly 100,000 overran most of southern Italy and fought its way up the entire length of the Italian Peninsula to the Alps.
A Thracian by birth, Spartacus served in the Roman army, perhaps deserted, led bandit raids, and was caught and sold as a slave. With about 70 fellow gladiators he escaped a gladiatorial training school at Capua in 73 and took refuge on Mount Vesuvius, where other runaway slaves joined the band. After defeating two Roman forces in succession, the rebels overran most of southern Italy. Ultimately their numbers grew to at least 90,000. Spartacus defeated the two consuls for the year 72 and fought his way northward toward the Alps, hoping to be able to disperse his soldiers to their homelands once they were outside Italy. He then turned back south in an effort to reach Sicily but was defeated by Marcus Licinius Crassus.