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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

As the warrior slept,

當戰士入睡時，

a snake coiled around his face.

一條蛇在他的臉上盤繞起來。

Instead of a threat, his wife saw an omen–

他的妻子看到的不是威脅， 而是一個預兆——

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

一股可怕的力量會引導 她的丈夫邁向榮耀或毀滅。

For now, however, he was only a slave –

然而，目前，他還只是個奴隸——

one of millions taken from the territories

數百萬個奴隸中的一個，

羅馬從他們所征服的領土 奴役這些人到礦坑工作、

conquered by Rome to work the mines,

till the fields,

在田地耕作， 或為了娛樂群眾而格鬥。

or fight for the crowd’s entertainment.

A nomadic Thracian from what is now Bulgaria,

一位遊牧的色雷斯人， 來自現在的保加利亞，

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

他在羅馬軍中服役， 卻因擅離職守而被囚禁。

His name was Spartacus.

他的名字叫做斯巴達克斯。

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

巴提亞斯是位 lanista， 即是角鬥士的訓練師，

他將斯巴達克斯帶到卡普阿。

or trainer of gladiators.

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

而在角鬥士學校（ludus）的 生活是非常無情的。

New recruits were forced to swear an oath

新人會被強迫要立誓

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

「要被燒、被綁、

被打、被劍殺害」，

and to obey their master’s will without question.

且要遵守主人的意願， 不得有任何疑異。

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

但，即使有這麼嚴厲的紀律， 也無法摧毀斯巴達克斯的志氣。

In 73 BCE, Spartacus led 73 other slaves

在西元前 73 年，斯巴達克斯 帶領另外 73 名奴隸

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

從廚房奪取刀子 和烤肉叉子，一路殺出去，

hijacking a wagon of gladiator equipment along the way.

在路上還劫持了一台 角鬥士使用的馬車。

They were done fighting for others–

他們不想再為他人而戰了——

now, they fought for their freedom.

現在，他們要為他們的自由而戰。

When the news reached Rome,

當消息傳到羅馬，

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

元老院因為西班牙 和本都王國的戰爭而太過忙碌，

to worry about some unruly slaves.

沒空擔心一些難駕馭的奴隸。

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

裁判官克勞狄斯 格拉柏爾不太在乎，

只帶了一支三千人的軍隊，

to the rebel’s refuge at Mount Vesuvius,

前往叛軍位在 維蘇威火山的庇護所，

and blocked off the only passage up the mountain.

阻斷了上山唯一的通路。

All that remained was to wait and starve them out–

剩下要做的就只有等待， 等他們太飢餓被迫出來——

or so he thought.

至少他是這麼想的。

In the dead of night,

在夜闌人靜時， 叛軍用藤蔓做成的繩子，

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

把自己向下垂降到懸崖邊，

and flanked Glaber’s unguarded camp.

從側面襲擊格拉柏爾 沒有防衛的營地。

Thus began the legend of Rome’s defiant gladiator.

因此，羅馬目空一切的 角鬥士傳奇就此展開。

As news of the rebellion spread,

隨著反叛的消息傳開，

its ranks swelled with escaped slaves,

叛軍軍隊越來越壯大， 逃脫的奴隸、

deserting soldiers, and hungry peasants.

逃兵、飢餓的農夫都加入了他們。

Many were untrained,

許多人都未過受訓練， 但斯巴達克斯的聰明戰術

but Spartacus’s clever tactics transformed them

將他們轉變成為有效的游擊部隊。

into an effective guerrilla force.

A second Roman expedition led by praetor Varinius,

第二次羅馬遠征是由 裁判官瓦利尼烏斯領導，

was ambushed while the officer bathed.

當他在洗澡時，軍隊被伏擊。

To elude the remaining Roman forces,

為了要避開剩下的羅馬軍力，

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

叛軍用其敵人的屍體 當作誘餌衛兵，

stealing Varinius’s own horse to aid their escape.

偷走了瓦利尼烏斯自己的馬， 來協助他們逃脫。

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

靠著他鼓舞人心的勝利 及平等分配戰掠物的政策，

Spartacus continued attracting followers,

斯巴達克斯持續吸引追隨者加入，

and gained control of villages

取得村落的控制權， 在那些地方鍛造武器。

where new weapons could be forged.

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

羅馬人很快就發現，他們面對的 已經不是下層的逃犯，

and in the spring of 72 BCE,

在西元前 72 年春天，

the Senate retaliated with the full force of two legions.

元老院用兩個軍團 全力出擊來報復，

The rebels left victorious,

叛軍雖然獲得勝利，

but many lives were lost in the battle,

但在戰爭中失去了許多人，

including Spartacus’ lieutenant Crixus.

包括斯巴達克斯的指揮官克雷斯。

To honor him, Spartacus held funeral games,

為了向他致敬，斯巴達克斯 舉行了葬禮競賽，

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

強迫他的羅馬囚犯扮演

他的叛軍伙伴們以前 要忍受扮演的角色。

By the end of 72 BCE,

西元前 72 年年末，

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

斯巴達克斯的軍隊已經是

十二萬人的強大軍力。

But those numbers proved difficult to manage.

但事實證明，這麼多人太難管理。

With the path to the Alps clear,

通往阿爾卑斯山脈的路已通，

Spartacus wanted to march beyond Rome’s borders,

斯巴達克斯想要行軍 到羅馬的邊境之外，

where his followers would be free.

在那裡，他的追隨者 就能得到自由。

But his vast army had grown brash.

但他浩大的軍隊變得越來越亂。

Many wanted to continue pillaging,

許多人想要繼續掠奪，

while others dreamed of marching on Rome itself.

其他人則夢想著逼向羅馬。

In the end, the rebel army turned south–

最終，叛軍軍隊轉向南——

forgoing what would be their last chance at freedom.

放棄他們獲得自由的 最後一次機會。

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

同時，馬庫斯李錫尼克拉蘇

取得了戰爭的掌控權。

As Rome’s wealthiest citizen,

身為羅馬最富裕的公民，

he pursued Spartacus with eight new legions,

他用八個新軍團 去追擊斯巴達克斯，

eventually trapping the rebels in the toe of Italy.

最後把叛軍困在義大利的足尖部。 （註：義大利版圖像靴子狀）

After failed attempts to build rafts,

嘗試建造木筏失敗，

and a stinging betrayal by local pirates,

又被當地的海盜背叛， 從背後捅了一刀，

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

叛軍絕望之下只得衝破 克拉蘇的戰線——

but it was no use.

但沒有用，

Roman reinforcements were returning from the Pontic wars,

羅馬增援的軍隊已經 從本都王國的戰爭返回，

and the rebels’ ranks and spirits were broken.

叛軍的隊伍和氣魄都被摧毀了。

In 71 BCE, they made their last stand.

西元前 71 年， 他們做出最後一搏。

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

斯巴達克斯幾乎就要 殺到克拉蘇面前，

卻被百人隊隊長給阻斷。

His army was destroyed,

他的軍隊被摧毀，

and 6000 captives were crucified along the Appian Way–

有六千名俘虜延著亞壁古道 被釘在十字架上——

a haunting demonstration of Roman authority.

做為羅馬權威的展示， 讓人難以忘懷。

Crassus won the war,

克拉蘇贏得戰爭，

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

但數個世紀來迴響的 卻不是他留下的事蹟。

Thousands of years later,

數千年後，

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

這個撼動了世界上 最強大帝國的奴隸的名字

has become synonymous with freedom–

變成了自由的同義詞——

and the courage to fight for it.

以及為了自由而戰的勇氣。