Marcus Licinius Crassus
Right, Sir Laurence Olivier as Crassus in Spartacus.
"I'm Marcus Licinius Crassus, no rich man can ever surpass us" or so the song goes!
Who was this 'rich man'?
Born in 115 BC, Crassus was part of the First Triumvirate, an alliance between himself, Pompey and Caesar. But he was also famous for being stupendously rich, and for what happened to his head after he died.
Crassus is known for going into battle against Spartacus who was surrounded but escaped during a snowstorm. Later, armies led by Pompey and Varro Lucullus were recalled to support Crassus against Spartacus. In this final battle, Crassus was victorious, and captured 6,000 slaves who were later crucified. Although Spartacus attempted to personally kill Crassus, Spartacus himself is believed to have been killed in the battle, although his body was never found.
Crassus formed an alliance with Pompey and Caesar in 60 BC. He became governor of Syria but was desperate for more power so he crossed the Euphrates with a view to conquering Parthia. In 53 BC, following the batle of Carrhae (in modern Turkey), Crassus and his troops were defeated by a small Parthian force. On his way to negotiate with the Parthian general Surena, a sudden fight broke out and all those in the Roman party died, including Crassus.
Below, Simon Farnaby as Crassus in Horrible Histories.
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