Marcus Licinius Crassus
He became one of the richest and most powerful men in Rome - so what made him risk everything?
His fortune, political influence and alliance with Julius Caesar and Pompey placed Crassus at the heart of the late Roman Republic. Yet wealth and status were not enough.
This film follows the Spartacus revolt, decimation, rivalry with Pompey, the First Triumvirate and the disastrous Parthian campaign ending at Carrhae in 53 BC. Was the final gamble greed, military ambition, jealousy, reputation - or the need to prove himself beside Rome's great commanders?
In the Hall of the Ancients, the evidence turns toward a larger question: when wealth, ambition and power reinforce one another, who governs whom?
Sources
This film draws principally on Plutarch's Life of Crassus, Appian's account of the Spartacus revolt, Cassius Dio, Book 40, and material from the Churchill Archives Centre concerning the Dardanelles comparison used in the film. Ancient accounts of Crassus often mix documented events with hostile tradition, so disputed claims are treated as claims rather than certainty.
Companion Study
A concise study guide with key facts, timeline, discussion questions and source notes.
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