The First Servile War (135 BCE – 132 BCE)
This revolt broke out in Sicily, where thousands of slaves, led by Eunus, a former slave turned leader, rebelled against their Roman masters. They captured several cities, but the Roman legions eventually crushed the uprising.
The Second Servile War (104 BCE – 100 BCE)
Another rebellion occurred in Sicily, led by Tryphon and Athenion, two former slaves. Like the first revolt, this rebellion gained traction but was ultimately defeated by the Roman military.
The Third Servile War (73 BCE – 71 BCE) – The Spartacus Revolt
The most famous slave rebellion was led by Spartacus, a gladiator who, along with Crixus and Oenomaus, led an army of escaped slaves. They won several battles against the Romans and threatened Italy itself. However, in 71 BCE, the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus crushed the rebellion. Spartacus was likely killed in battle, and thousands of his followers were crucified along the Appian Way as a warning to future rebels.
The Revolt of Julius Civilis (69–70 CE) – The Batavian Revolt
During the chaotic Year of the Four Emperors (69 CE), the Batavians, a Romanized Germanic tribe, saw an opportunity to rise against Roman rule. Their leader, Julius Civilis, a former Roman officer, led the Batavian Revolt in Germania. Initially successful, the rebels defeated Roman legions and briefly established an independent state. However, Rome, under Emperor Vespasian, sent reinforcements, and Civilis was forced to surrender.
The Jewish Revolts (66–135 CE) – Resistance Against Roman Rule
One of the most significant and violent resistance movements against Rome came from the Jewish people in Judea.
The First Jewish-Roman War (66–73 CE)
This was the largest Jewish rebellion, beginning in 66 CE due to religious tensions, heavy taxation, and Roman oppression. The rebels initially expelled the Romans from Jerusalem, but Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus launched a brutal counterattack. In 70 CE, the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and by 73 CE, the last stronghold at Masada fell.
The Kitos War (115–117 CE)
A second uprising occurred in Jewish communities across the Roman Empire, including Cyrene, Egypt, and Cyprus. The Romans, under Emperor Trajan, crushed the revolt with extreme brutality.
The Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135 CE)
Led by Simon Bar Kokhba, this was the final major Jewish revolt. It was initially successful, with Jewish forces reclaiming Judea, but Emperor Hadrian sent a massive army to crush the rebellion. The war ended in devastation, with hundreds of thousands of Jews killed, and Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina to erase its Jewish identity. shutdown123