Salah

I have already done a poll to see everyone's opinion (or lack thereof) of Pompey. And I do believe most of us have made our respective opinions of Divus Julius Caesar very apparent

But we have yet to discuss the third and final member of the First Triumvirate at length, the infamously stingy warlord Marcus Licinius Crassus.

Crassus has - perhaps undeservedly - been best known as the guy whose army was thrashed by the Parthians under Surena at Carrhae/Harran in 53 BC. But we must remember that it was Crassus - not Caesar or Pompey - who defeated and dispersed Spartacus' gladiator horde, and notoriously crucified the captives along the Via Appia.

So - taking all of his campaigns, not just Carrhae, into consideration - does Crassus impress you as a general and leader of men?

NewModelSoldier

He wasn't bad, I guess, but I think his ambitions far outweighed any real talent for the battlefield.

Cicero

A Gladiator horde is not a real army... below average in my estimation... two stars.

Salah

Didn't Spartacus have Gauls and Germans in his army? They would have been at least slightly formidable.

Cicero

Oh I am not trying to contentd that they weren't formidable in som easpects... most were gladiators skilled in individual combat... but they were just a rabble, not an organized army with command and support structures, logistics, a home base ect.

Salah

Gotcha

avon

I think that that's true ... but, all the same, I think the amount of glory heaped upon Pompey reflects the fear that the Romans felt. Clearly they did not see them simply as a rabble. We must also consider that these gladiators, 120,000 strong, were remarkably successful in routing two armies, capturing fasces, defeated Gellius. All that stood between them and Rome - perhaps with the exception of their own divergent intentions - was Crassus.

Cicero

Ok, 2 1/2 stars!

I think that they would have likely collapsed under their weight given enough time.

okamido

The majority of the army though, did not actually consist of gladiators. Remember, the original revolt started with a meager number of 200 or so gladiators.

The two armies that were defeated would also not really be considered a traditional Praetorian army. Glaba's forces were simply a hastily formed militia and it is unknown if Varinius's army was a traditional force or militia as well. When the Senate sent a traditional army into the conflict under the command of Lucius Gellius Publicola, the slave commander Crixus, and his force of 30,000 was wiped out.

I believe that the victory in this conflict was obviuosly inevitible as the Senate finaly sent in the traditional military with proper experiance, versus the militias that they thought could handle it in the opening stages. Crassus leading the army was irrelevant as this conflict could be won simply by the class of soldiers engaged in combat.

Dark14

I would say he was around the level of Pompey good but not great. Yes i do think of him as the guy who got "thrashed" at Carrhae and putting down the gladiator uprising is given a little much credit but they did cause trouble for others and he did the right thing for the empire by showing they are not just taking it from those slaves. i would say 3.5 ish voted 4.