Tristan Hughes

Right.

So how difficult is it for us today, if his story has only recently been rediscovered, to sort fact from fiction?

Incredibly difficult.

So it's not just one text that talks about Spartacus' story in detail.

Those 4,000 surviving words are also split around various texts that survive.

Roman historians and biographer like Plutarch as well, so they're the kind of figures that you have.

Well, let's start right at the beginning.

Do we know much about his origins?

Who is this figure of Spartacus?

Where does he supposedly come from?

Right.

Yes, the Spartacus and the Spartacus dynasty.

And the Odrysai, for a time, they were the biggest tribe in Thrace.

Because that's important context to highlight.

So the Roman Republic, so not an empire at this time, in the early 1st century B.C.,

By this time, the Carthaginians have been beaten, and the Romans are very much establishing a foothold in that eastern Mediterranean area, and one of those key areas being what is modern-day Turkey, where Mithridates lived.

And it's fun speculating about his time in the army and how he served.

The Thracians with their...

pretty famous reputation in ancient times for being these fierce warriors.

And as you mentioned, likely cavalrymen with their javelins.