Lentulus Batiatus - [top]
Watch his eyes. Whether portrayed in history (thinly sourced) or immortalized by John Hannah in the STARZ series, Batiatus is a man drowning in the insult of his birth. He lives in the shadow of his father, the great Titus, a man who built the ludus into something respectable. But Batiatus wants more than Capua. He wants the Senate. He wants the magistrates to drink his wine and call him "friend." He wants to see his name carved into Roman marble.
When we speak of the Third Servile War, our minds rush immediately to Spartacus—the messiah of the gladiator, the breaker of chains, the man who made Rome tremble. But every rebellion needs a catalyst. Every fire needs a first spark. And that spark, that gloriously arrogant, shortsighted, and ambitious spark, was . lentulus batiatus
But damn if we don't enjoy watching him fall. Watch his eyes
