Changes

The movie gives us a very accurate account of Spartacus time at the gladiator school in Capua. This area was renowned in Roman times for the training of gladiators. The regime at these schools was hard and brutal. The gladiators were driven by instructors and to fight others as part of their training. The Hollywood epic shows Spartacus and the other slaves being brutally treated by Batiatus. This is recorded in the surviving Roman sources. Even by the standards of the time, the owner of the Gladiator School was a vicious maser.<ref> Shaw, Brent. Spartacus and the Slave Wars: a brief history with documents (London, Palgrave-MacMillan,2001), p 111 </ref>. The motion picture also does not show Spartacus fighting in a gladiatorial contest in the Arena and this is historically accurate. The Thracian never actually fought in a Gladiatorial contest apart from training contests. In one scene Spartacus is forced to fight another Gladiator for the private amusement of some of Batitatus guests and this was not uncommon at the time. Spartacus is shown in the movie as leading the revolt against Batiatus and this was the case. He did lead 70 gladiators and inspired them to attack their guards and to make a bid for freedom .<reref> Plutarch, <i>Life of Crassus</i>, iv</ref>. The movie accurately shows how the revolt unfolded. It began in the kitchens of the gladiator school when the gladiators seized utensils and knives and used them to overpower their guards and escape.