Castus was an enslaved Gallic man who, together with the

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied t ...

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising ...

, the fellow Gaul Crixus, and Celt

Gannicus Gannicus was a Celtic slave, who together with the Thracian Spartacus, Crixus, Castus and Oenomaus, became one of the leaders of rebel slaves during the Third Servile War (73–71 BC). In the winter of 71 BC, Gannicus, along with Castus, broke ...

, alongside

Oenomaus In Greek mythology, King Oenomaus (also Oenamaus; grc-gre, Οἰνόμαος, ''Oἱnómaos'') of Pisa, was the father of Hippodamia and the son of Ares. His name ''Oinomaos'' denotes a wine man. Family Oenomaeus' mother was either naiad Har ...

, was one of the leaders of rebellious slaves during the

Third Servile War The Third Servile War, also called the Gladiator War and the War of Spartacus by Plutarch, was the last in a series of slave rebellions against the Roman Republic known as the Servile Wars. This third rebellion was the only one that directly ...

(73–71 BC). He was killed along with his co-commander Gannicus and their Gallic and Germanic followers by Roman forces under

Marcus Licinius Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115 – 53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome." Wallechinsky, David & Wallace, I ...

at the

Battle of Cantenna The Battle of Cantenna was one of the last battles of the Third Servile War, and took place in Lucania in 71 BC.Frontinus, ''Strategems'', quoted in Shaw, Brent D., ''Spartacus and the Slave Wars'', 2001, pp. 157-158. Gannicus and Castus, th ...

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Brutti ...

in 71 BC.

References

Ancient sources

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

, ''Crassus'' 11, 2–3.

Secondary literature

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castus 1st-century BC Romans Celtic warriors Gaulish people Rebel slaves in ancient Rome Roman gladiators Third Servile War 71 BC deaths Year of birth unknown