First servile War

The first war servile is the name given to the rising of slaves which was held in Sicily 139 av. J. - C. with 132 av. J. - C., rising carried out by the slave Eunus (or Eunos ), Syrian magician , at the beginning of the town of Enna. It is only after seven years of massacres and devastations, after several defeats of the Roman troops that consular armies reflect fine with the revolt.

Context

The first servile war takes seat during one time of disorders in Sicily, Roman Province since the end of the First Punic War. It is due to the miserable condition of the slaves delivered to themselves on grounds monopolized by a small number of great landowners and to hardness, even cruelty, some of them.

At that time, Sicily is a fertile ground, attic with corn of Rome, which counts vast latifundia where work of many slaves confined in ergastules. It also counts important areas of grazing grounds where a great number of slaves, often originating in the East hellenistic, are shepherds. To provide for their needs, those live plunders and of armed robbery to the detriment of the small holders, particularly in the center of the island, in the area of Enna and in the west, in that of Ségeste and Lilybée. This situation involves a great insecurity which Rome does not cure however, because it does not reach the higher class of the island.

The revolt

Rising begins in 139 av. J. - C. with Enna, caused by the cruelty of a Master of the name of Damophile against which its slaves revolt. Under the control of Eunus, a Syrian shepherd originating in Apamée, magician and prophet, a troop of 400 slaves enters the houses of Enna and massacre the inhabitants.

The rows of this troop grow bigger quickly for soon counting several thousands of revolted which release the slaves of the ergastules and devastate the forts, villages and cities, seizing Enna, Taormina, Heraclea and Morgantina. Another troop, carried out by certain Cléon of Cilicie, strong of approximately 5000 men, is formed in the south of the island and devastates the area of Agrigente. The two groups of slaves are linked, Cléon lending allegiance to Eunus which, elected king, takes the name of Antiochus and provides the foundations of a kingdom of slaves.

Between 138 and 135 av. J. - C. several Préteur S Romans sent in Sicily are beaten by the slaves whose army reaches the figure from 60.000 to 200.000 men. Rome sends then the consul C. Fulvius then, in 133 av. J. - C., the consul Calpurnius Pison who demolishes for the first time the servile army with Messana and reconquers the area of Morgantina.

In 132 av. J. - C., the consul Publius Rupilius conquers the towns of Taormina and Enna, by reducing the slaves besieged to the famine. Cléon is killed with the hands even of Rupilius at the time of the head office of Enna and Eunus, captured, dies in a prison of Morgantina. Rupilius promulgates then a lex Rupilia for the administration of Sicily. The same year, a last campaign of the general Marcus Perperna will complete the rout of the slaves who will be put in cross.

Consequences

These events influenced the polic life in Rome, and the question of the agrarian law: the Gracques drew argument from this revolt to criticize the risk induced by the vast Latifundia E slave, and to preach the return to the small property by distributing grounds to the stripped citizens.

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