Random Shocking & Bizarre Life of the Man Who Killed Spartacus (18 items)

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  (#1) According to One Legend, His Mouth Was Filled With Molten Gold

  Crassus was ultimately killed while waging war against the Parthians. According to one story, soldiers cut off his head to take back as a trophy. They knew well Crassus's reputation for loving money more than anything else, and decided to make a fitting tribute to his memory. They melted gold and poured it into the head. Then, the soldiers paraded the head through the streets. 

  In some accounts, Crassus was captured alive, and then had gold poured into his mouth until it overflowed. Either way, the legend served as a cautionary tale to many children throughout Rome: don't be greedy, because greedy men get what they deserve.
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  (#2) His Severed Head Was Used As A Prop In A Play

  One story says that Crassus's severed, gilded head and his hands were presented as a gift to the king of Armenia. Once the head arrived, it was used in a production of The Bacchae. The head was thrown in as a prop, and Pomaxathres, Crassus's killer, joined in as an actor.
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  (#3) He Was One Of The Richest Men Who Ever Lived

  Although Crassus was best known for his military and political careers, it should also be noted that he was incredibly wealthy. He was rumored to own the majority of property in Rome, and supposedly amassed more money in his lifetime than any Roman ever would. Crassus liked to strategically spend in order to gain power, and he loved luxury.

  But just how rich was Crassus, exactly? Sources disagree on the amount of money he had, but the highest estimates value his fortune at 200 million sesterces. That would make him a billionaire by current standards, and perhaps even a trillionaire.
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  (#4) He Made A Fortune Off Of House Fires

  Fires were an all-too-common hazard in Rome, and no organized fire brigade existed to extinguish them. Once Crassus realized this, he created his own personal fire brigade (possibly the world's first) in order to put out fires.

  The move wasn't as selfless as it seemed. When Crassus saw a house on fire, he would approach the owners of the house and offer to buy the the burning building, as well as the ones in danger of fire next door, at rock bottom prices. If the owners sold the house to him, he would put out the fire. If the owners refused to sell, Crassus would let the structures burn.

  Historians think this scheme allowed Crassus to purchase the bulk of property in Rome.
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  (#5) He Was The Reason Julius Caesar Came To Power

  Julius Caesar likely wouldn't have come to power if it wasn't for Crassus. As a wealthy man, Crassus enjoyed playing patron to those he thought could further his political, military, and financial career.

  In order to gain power in ancient Rome, one had to climb the cursus honorum, a political ladder of sequential offices. Crassus liked Caesar's drive and ambition, and decided to fund all his endeavors, since Caesar wasn't wealthy himself. Crassus paid the right people, gave Caesar all the right opportunities, and soon Caesar held the office of consul, the highest political position in Rome.
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  (#6) He Killed Part of His Own Army After Spartacus Defeated Him

  When the Third Servile War happened in 73 BCE, the Romans were nervous. The rebelling slaves were led by Spartacus, a former slave, warrior, and gladiator, and he was so well loved that he was becoming the topic of story and song. They needed to crush the rebellion, and fast - so they put the wealthy Crassus in charge of the army.

  Crassus's initial attacks didn't do much good, and he was thoroughly defeated. Embarrassed and enraged that he had failed, Crassus decided to teach his men a lesson. He called the 500 of his men he decided had shown the most cowardice forward, and made them draw lots. Any of the men who were marked - one in ten - were separated, and Crassus killed all of them. This act, decimation, had been used by previous generals, but it was a dead practice at the time. It made the point that he was a ruthless leader, but it did nothing to inspire love or loyalty in his men.
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  (#7) He Crucified All Survivors Of The Slave Revolt

  Following his initial failure in the Third Servile War, Crassus sent for help. He got word back that help was on the way, in the form of Pompey. Crassus did not like Pompey, and decided to attempt to win the war himself. His troops surrounded the rebel slaves and killed them, just as Pompey arrived. Pompey rounded up any escapees, but by that time, Crassus had made certain that Spartacus was, indeed, dead.

  As far as the remaining slaves, Crassus decided to make a statement to any who would dare to revolt in the future. He took six thousand of the surviving slaves and crucified each and every one of them. He then lined the entire Appian Way with those crucified men, and left them there to slowly die.
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  (#8) He Threw A Massive Party After Killing Spartacus

  Crassus assumed he would receive glory for crushing Spartacus, but he wasn't welcomed home the way he expected. On the contrary, he was shamed by a few politicians for requesting help, and for letting slaves escape. His rival Pompey got all the glory for stopping the slave rebellion, and was decorated with the highest of honors. Crassus, on the other hand, received lesser honors and a lesser office for his hard work.

  Crassus was outraged. He had been overshadowed, unappreciated, and slandered, and he wasn't going to take that sitting down. So, he threw a series of elaborate feasts to win favor with the people, all celebrating himself and his accomplishments. Upon hearing the name "Pompey the Great" uttered at his party, he supposedly responded by laughing and saying "Why, how big is he?"
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  (#9) He Loathed Pompey But Worked With Him Anyway

  By all accounts, Crassus hated Pompey the Great. Both attempted to climb the political ladder and become great generals at the same time. It seemed that nothing could make these bitter rivals work together - except Julius Caesar.

  At this point, Caesar was incredibly powerful. But he wanted more, so he turned to his two closest friends, Pompey and Crassus. Crassus had the wealth, Pompey had the military prowess, and Caesar had the political power and drive. If they all worked together, they could rule Rome.

  Pompey and Crassus settled their differences enough to work together, and the three men formed the First Triumvirate.
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  (#10) He Might Have Gotten Naughty With A Vestal Virgin

  Vestal virgins were completely off limits to the men of ancient Rome. But social taboos didn't seem to stop the married Crassus. He was accused of getting familiar with a woman named Licinia, who happened to be a vestal virgin. He was tried for this crime, and claimed that he wasn't trying to seduce Licinia - he was simply trying to get a lower property price for one of his many real estate schemes. The claim raised some eyebrows, but Crassus's greed was so well-documented that he was acquitted.

  Crassus, naturally, ended up buying the property from the vestal virgin.
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  (#11) He Helped Purge The Senate In Order To Take Political Power

  Once Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar joined together, the First Triumvirate began their massive bid for power. Rome was in turmoil, and the time was right for them to take center stage in government.

  First, the three agreed to stand together to oppose any legislation they might dislike. Then, they bumped out Bibulus, who was co-consul with Caesar, so that Caesar could be consul all on his own. It wasn't long before both Crassus and Pompey became high-ranking officials in the senate, and from there it was a process of elimination. The three men purged the senate of anyone they disliked, and passed laws to benefit them. They even cleared most of the debt Crassus owed on property, making him even richer.
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  (#12) He Hid In A Cave To Avoid Being Murdered

  When Crassus was young, Cinna's troops entered Rome. These soldiers were tasked with cutting down everyone who supported Sulla, the previous general and statesman of the city. Unfortunately, Crassus's family had been supporters. One of his two brothers was killed in the ensuing fighting, as well as his father (though some say he killed himself), leaving Crassus alone. He was left with only one option: retreat.

  And retreat he most certainly did. Crassus hid in a seaside cave in Spain, having food brought to him regularly so he could stay away from those who might want him dead. But it wasn't all bad - he was surrounded by slaves and luxury in these caves. At one point, he was even sent a pair of women to see to his physical needs. Once Cinna died, Crassus emerged and began his rise to glory.
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  (#13) He Bought His Own Private Army

  Crassus financed his own personal fighting force, comprised of thousands of men - likely mostly slaves - as well as a sailing fleet. He served as the army's general, just like his father had. However, unlike his father, Crassus was more interested in profit, and wouldn't enter into a conflict unless it would financially benefit him.

  According to some stories, Crassus declared that no man could be considered wealthy until he could buy his own private army.
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  (#14) He Was Intensely Greedy And Mostly Disliked

  Once Crassus returned to Rome after Cinna's death, he started buying up property. In particular, he purchased homes that were once owned by victims of Sulla, the very man his father had supported. The property was cheaply auctioned, so Crassus nabbed it all to turn over for profit. The move rubbed a lot of politicians and military men the wrong way.

  It seems strange that a man who was so disliked gained so much power. But the simple fact of the matter is that Crassus bought his influence. He may have been greedy, but Crassus knew which palms to grease in order to get what he wanted in life.
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  (#15) He Was The Son Of A War Hero

  Crassus didn't earn the entirety of his immense fortune himself. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, thanks to the exploits of his father, Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus. He was a famed politician who had helped with the agrarian reforms back in the days of Tiberius Gracchus. This had afforded him a great deal of wealth, and his family was well respected. He was also a successful general. Perhaps his father's political and military success pushed Crassus along his career paths.
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  (#16) He Was A Poor Military Strategist

  Crassus succeeded at business and politics - albeit through cutthroat means - but wasn't a great military leader. He lost a lot of battles. He stumbled during the slave revolt, and often had to withdraw troops he sent abroad because he could not care for them. Crassus would advance recklessly and quickly, and even lost his son in battle during a hasty advance.

  Many of Crassus's soldiers were slaves or had been bought, so they harbored no love for him. He would stress their health with grueling marches, and neglected food and supplies in favor of faster movement. It's no wonder, then, that Crassus was on the receiving end of multiple mutiny threats during his military career.
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  (#17) He Was Still Trying To Lead Armies At Age 60

  The average life expectancy in ancient Rome was around 25-35 years of age, mostly due to a high infant mortality rate. Crassus, however, lived past sixty. He stayed active during his later years, serving as a politician and continuing to build his fortune with property schemes and foreign investments.

  He was also still pursuing his military career. In his early sixties, Crassus joined his son in Syria to fight the Parthians. It would be his fatal mistake.
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  (#18) A Botched Negotiation Attempt Lead To His Death

  During Crassus's fight against the Parthians, things went south in a hurry. Crassus advanced too far and too fast, thinning out his men drastically. His son was killed in battle, and his men lost heart. They told Crassus that surrender was the only option, and when he refused, they threatened to mutiny. Crassus decided to go on horseback to negotiate with the Parthian leader.

  The horse struggled as Crassus mounted it, and Crassus's men panicked. During the confusion, both sides resumed fighting. Many of Crassus's men were killed and, eventually, he too was felled. Some say a man named Pomaxathres was the one who eventually beheaded his fallen body, though there's some debate over exactly what happened.

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