From enslavement to rebel gladiator: The life of Spartacus - Fiona Radford

翻译人员: Riley WANG 校对人员: Carol Wang

As the warrior slept,

这名勇士正在熟睡，

a snake coiled around his face.

一条蛇环住了他的脸，

Instead of a threat, his wife saw an omen–

他妻子认为这是吉兆，而非凶险——

a fearsome power that would lead her husband to either glory or doom.

一种强大力量将指引她丈夫 走向荣光或灾难。

For now, however, he was only a slave –

但现在，他还仅仅是个奴隶——

one of millions taken from the territories

和其他数以百万计的奴隶一样，

conquered by Rome to work the mines,

罗马军队征服了他们家园， 他们被带走而沦为奴隶。

till the fields,

在矿场工作、在农田耕种，

or fight for the crowd’s entertainment.

或供人们娱乐的角斗士。

A nomadic Thracian from what is now Bulgaria,

他是游牧民族色雷斯人， 来自现在的保加利亚地区，

he had served in the Roman Army but was imprisoned for desertion.

在罗马军队里服役， 却因擅离职守而锒铛入狱，

His name was Spartacus.

他名叫斯巴达克斯。

Spartacus had been brought to Capua by Batiatus, a lanista,

巴蒂亚图斯是一名角斗士训练师，

or trainer of gladiators.

他把斯巴达克斯带到卡普亚。

And life at the ludus, or gladiator school, was unforgiving.

角斗士训练所的生活非常严酷，

New recruits were forced to swear an oath

新学员被强迫发誓，

“to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword,”

“誓愿上刀山、下火海、 英勇搏斗、或是死于剑下，”

and to obey their master’s will without question.

并且要绝对服从主人的意志。

But even harsh discipline couldn’t break Spartacus’s spirit.

但严酷的纪律也无法摧毁 斯巴达克斯的意志，

In 73 BCE, Spartacus led 73 other slaves

在公元前 73 年， 斯巴达克斯带领其他 73 名奴隶

to seize knives and skewers from the kitchen and fight their way out,

手握厨房刀具和串肉钎一路杀出去，

hijacking a wagon of gladiator equipment along the way.

并沿路抢劫了装有训练设备的马车。

They were done fighting for others–

他们厌倦了为他人而搏斗，

now, they fought for their freedom.

现在他们要为自己的自由而抗争。

When the news reached Rome,

当消息传至罗马，

the Senate was too busy with wars in Spain and the Pontic Empire

元老院正忙于应对 在西班牙和本都帝国的战争，

to worry about some unruly slaves.

因此无暇顾及几个叛乱的奴隶。

Unconcerned, praetor Claudius Glaber took an army of three thousand men

执政官克劳狄斯·格拉伯尔 若无其事地带领 3000 名士兵，

to the rebel’s refuge at Mount Vesuvius,

来到位于维苏威山的叛党营地，

and blocked off the only passage up the mountain.

并封锁了上山的唯一通道。

All that remained was to wait and starve them out–

静等待饥饿的奴隶自己出来——

or so he thought.

然而他的如意算盘落空了。

In the dead of night,

夜深人静时，

the rebels lowered themselves down the cliffside on ropes made from vines,

叛者用藤条制成的绳索从悬崖下山，

and flanked Glaber’s unguarded camp.

并从一侧攻击了毫无防备的军营，

Thus began the legend of Rome’s defiant gladiator.

罗马叛乱角斗士的传奇由此开始。

As news of the rebellion spread,

随着反叛消息的传播，

its ranks swelled with escaped slaves,

斯巴达克斯的军队不断扩大， 加入者有逃亡的奴隶，

deserting soldiers, and hungry peasants.

叛逃的士兵和饥饿的农民。

Many were untrained,

大多数人都未接受过训练，

but Spartacus’s clever tactics transformed them

但是斯巴达克斯机智的战术

into an effective guerrilla force.

将他们变成一支高效的游击力量。

A second Roman expedition led by praetor Varinius,

第二支罗马远征队 由执政官瓦力乌尼思率领，

was ambushed while the officer bathed.

这支队伍在执政官洗澡时被伏击。

To elude the remaining Roman forces,

为了避开剩余的罗马军队，

the rebels used their enemy’s corpses as decoy guards,

反叛者利用敌人的尸体作为掩护，

stealing Varinius’s own horse to aid their escape.

偷了瓦力乌尼思的马以助他们逃走。

Thanks to his inspiring victories and policy of distributing spoils equally,

由于斯巴达克斯激励人心的胜利 和平均分配战利品的政策，

Spartacus continued attracting followers,

他不断吸引着追随者，

and gained control of villages

并且控制了村庄，

where new weapons could be forged.

在此他们得以铸造兵器。

The Romans soon realized they were no longer facing ragtag fugitives,

罗马人迅速意识到 他们面对的不再是破衣烂衫的难民，

and in the spring of 72 BCE,

因此，在公元前 72 年的春天，

the Senate retaliated with the full force of two legions.

元老院命令两个军团进行反攻。

The rebels left victorious,

反叛者虽然取得了胜利，

but many lives were lost in the battle,

但是在战争中牺牲者众多，

including Spartacus’ lieutenant Crixus.

包括斯巴达克斯的助理官克雷斯。

To honor him, Spartacus held funeral games,

为了纪念他，斯巴达克斯 为其葬礼举办了角斗士比赛，

forcing his Roman prisoners to play the role his fellow rebels had once endured.

让罗马俘虏遭受 他及其他奴隶曾经历过的痛苦。

By the end of 72 BCE,

公元前 72 年年底，

Spartacus’ army was a massive force of roughly 120,000 members.

斯巴达克斯的军队实力雄厚， 大约达到 12 万人。

But those numbers proved difficult to manage.

但是人数众多使管理变得困难。

With the path to the Alps clear,

在去往阿尔卑斯山的路上，

Spartacus wanted to march beyond Rome’s borders,

斯巴达克斯本想要穿过罗马边境线，

where his followers would be free.

这样他的追随者就获得了自由。

But his vast army had grown brash.

但是他的军队开始变得自以为是。

Many wanted to continue pillaging,

许多人想要继续劫掠，

while others dreamed of marching on Rome itself.

而其他人则幻想可以攻入罗马。

In the end, the rebel army turned south–

最终，反叛军向南进发，

forgoing what would be their last chance at freedom.

放弃了他们获得自由的最后机会。

Meanwhile, Marcus Licinius Crassus had assumed control of the war.

与此同时，马库斯·李锡尼·克拉苏 掌控了战争大局。

As Rome’s wealthiest citizen,

作为罗马最富有的居民，

he pursued Spartacus with eight new legions,

他许诺给斯巴达克斯八个新军团，

eventually trapping the rebels in the toe of Italy.

以此作为诱饵 将反叛军围困在意大利南部。

After failed attempts to build rafts,

在自制木筏失败

and a stinging betrayal by local pirates,

并惨遭当地海盗欺骗之后，

the rebels made a desperate run to break through Crassus’s lines–

反叛军绝望地四散逃跑 想要冲破克拉苏的包围圈，

but it was no use.

但仍无济于事。

Roman reinforcements were returning from the Pontic wars,

罗马的增援力量从本都战争返回，

and the rebels’ ranks and spirits were broken.

反叛军队和士气溃败。

In 71 BCE, they made their last stand.

公元前 71 年，他们做出了最后的抵抗。

Spartacus nearly managed to reach Crassus before being cut down by centurions.

就在斯巴达克斯几乎冲到克拉苏面前时， 他被百人队队长砍中而倒下。

His army was destroyed,

他的军队瓦解了，

and 6000 captives were crucified along the Appian Way–

6000 名俘虏被钉死在 阿皮亚大道沿线的十字架上，

a haunting demonstration of Roman authority.

以这种可怕的形式 宣示着罗马帝国的权威。

Crassus won the war,

克拉苏获得了战争的胜利，

but it is not his legacy which echoes through the centuries.

但传颂了几个世纪的 传奇故事的主人公并不是他。

Thousands of years later,

几千年之后，

the name of the slave who made the world’s mightiest empire tremble

曾让世界最强帝国战栗的奴隶的名字

has become synonymous with freedom–

成为了自由的代名词，

and the courage to fight for it.

也给了人们为了自由而奋斗的勇气。