Psammus

**Psammus** is a recurring character in the second, third, fourth and fifth seasons of ***Spartacus***. He was a slave from Greece who was later freed by Spartacus during the Siege of Forum Annii in 72 BC. He then joined Spartacus' rebellion against the Romans, and ultmately died in the battle of the Silarus River against Marcus Crassus in 71 BC.

He was the lover of Belesa, and would often travel with her and her sister Purpura throughout Italia.

## Background

### Early Life

Psammus was born in Greece in 115 BC, the son of farmers who lived near the city of Thebes, in Boeotia. His father and mother were both killed by Roman soldiers and he was enslaved at a young age. He spent the years after that serving a dominus in Forum Annii. At some point he became his dominus' Vilicus, managing his household on various occasions.

He often spoke to a fellow slave, Hemmea, who he had a close but non-romantic bond with.

### Third Servile War

Psammus was freed by Spartacus and his rebel army as they attacked Forum Annii in 72 BC.

Psammus had to say goodbye a great many of his friends when Crixus separated from Spartacus with a large number of the rebels; 30,000 of them. He would later learn that most of them had been killed by Gellius Publicola and his legions. One friend who returned, Calopor, told Psammus that their friends had fought bravely under Crixus, and died trying to buy the surviving rebels enough time to escape back to Spartacus' camp.

His first true battle was against Cornelius Lentulus and his two legions. He proved himself a quick learner, drawing out an enemy one at a time and defeated with the aid of many other rebels. Taking a few spoils of war with him including a shield and armor, he then fought with Spartacus against Publicola and Lentulus' combined forces, defeating them left and right until their legions were scattered, and 300 legionaries had been captured.

He was present when Spartacus honored Crixus' death with gladiatorial games, forcing the captured Roman prisoners to fight against each other. Hemmea noticed that while Psammus wasn't cheering with applause at the site of these Gladiatorial executions, he wasn't against it either, causing her to rarely talk to him again.

During one of these confrontations the rebels were forced into on their way north towards the Alps, he saved another rebel named Belesa, and they both fell in love, on the battlefield and off.

Psammus was present along with Spartacus, Gannicus and their supporters when they headed to the coast to broker a deal with the Cilician pirates, and was more than ready to hold his own if it turned into a fight. Psammus would continue to play a part in the secret opposition to the pirates, and partially blamed himself for driving the pirates away and betraying Spartacus, though the latter himself assured Psammus and the other opposers it was in the pirates' nature to be treacherous. For the remainder of the war, Psammus attended many small and crucial war counsels, but also wanted to spent most of his time with Belesa and her sister, which they found very comforting.

Psammus had almost considered leaving with Gannicus and Castus when they and Spartacus parted ways, but not only did Psammus want to make sure Belesa and Purpura made it over the Alps, he ultimately doubted that either Gannicus and Castus would last long against Crassus' forces on their own.

### Death

During the final battle at the Silarus River , he fought bravely and took a number of Roman lives before finally being cut down by Roman soldiers.

## Traits and Skills

* **Skilled combatant**: Psammus had no experience in combat before he was freed by Spartacus, but he was a quick learner. He became a incredibly skilled fighter, even as skilled as a gladiator, but he was only at Castus' level in combat. Psammus was a quick learner and managed to survive many battles by the end of the war.
* **Bilingual**: Other than his native tongue, Greek, Psammus was also fluent in Latin. He was also taught to speak Thracian by his lover Belesa.

## Personality

Psammus was a devouted man who believed in the gods, but was also a man who accepted his fate as a slave, until he was freed by the slave army. Psammus was a quick learner and became a skilled fighter during the later battles of the war.

## Appearance

Psammus was tall with an toned build, dark hair and a beard. He possessed many scars on his body, and received many other cuts from his battles against the Romans. As the rebellion continued, Psammus used more and more amour, mainly around his legs, chest and arms, and occasionally, wore a makeshift helmet.