when did spartacus rebel
'Spartacus War': Story Of The Real-Life Gladiator. The legend of Spartacus has inspired so many fanciful retellings, it's easy to lose track of what actually happened back in 73 BC. In The Spartacus War, Barry Strauss gives a historical account of the charismatic rebel who inspired a slave revolt against Rome. Excerpt: 'The Spartacus War'.