WI: The Third Servile War-Spartacus Revolt- more succesful?

Hey this is one of my first WI's on the site so have some leniancy if this is an often asked or stupid question.
How could the "Third Servile War",
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Servile_War, the revolt by Spartacus and his fellow slaves against the Roman Republic, be more of a success. Could Spartacus have beaten Crassius, if he does what is his endgame?
Please Discuss civilly.
 
Hey this is one of my first WI's on the site so have some leniancy if this is an often asked or stupid question.
How could the "Third Servile War",
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Servile_War, the revolt by Spartacus and his fellow slaves against the Roman Republic, be more of a success. Could Spartacus have beaten Crassius, if he does what is his endgame?
Please Discuss civilly.
Depends on who you ask, Appian says they wanted to take over the government, but Plutarch said they just wanted to flee to Gaul.
 
Depends on who you ask, Appian says they wanted to take over the government, but Plutarch said they just wanted to flee to Gaul.

From what I heard Crixus and the other minor leaders wanted to stay and raid, perhaps even take Rome-not to end slavery mind you but to live like Patricians- while Spartacus wanted to flee.
 
"The Gladiator's War: A Dialogue" by Lois Tilton, which appeared in Asimov's a few years back, depicts Spartacus rescuing Crixus after the latter splits from his army, crucifying Julius Caesar, and making his way to Spain to fight alongside Sertorious.

Sertorious proceeds to betray them and in this huge fight Spartacus, Pompey Magnus, and Sertorious all die. A bunch of the slave survivors make their way to Asia Minor and fight for Mithridates, while Crixus is recaptured at some point and is about to be forced back into the arena for a special show.

It's not online anymore that I can find, but it's an awesome story. I can't remember if Rome gets trashed or not (if it were, I think that would be stretching plausibility).

On a less extreme scale, if the Cicilian pirates come through, Spartacus and his army might make it to Asia Minor and Mithridates (or Sicily), while OTL the slaves had a chance to leave march out of Italy into Gaul but chose not to and returned to Italy to rampage around.

Either option would keep them alive longer, while the former option (if they go to Asia Minor and not Sicily) would limit the ability of the Romans to take long-range revenge.

(There was a discussion here earlier about the slaves fleeing into Germania and the Romans bribing various Germanic chiefs to attack them.)
 
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Yeah i have read about the subject and I Agree with the author and Plutarch or however you spell the guy's name. All indications point to the fact the Spartacus wanted to flee and all the pillaging and Looting was just to feed and supply him and his army for when the Romans Came after him. HE tried to go through the alps and to SIcily. Basically he wanted out, no one else did, he got stuck and he died for it and the surviours of the battle got crucfifed. poor guys.
Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutant!
 
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