Salvius Tryphon was an

aulos An ''aulos'' ( grc, αὐλός, plural , ''auloi'') or ''tibia'' (Latin) was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology. Though ''aulos'' is often translated as "flute" or "double flute", it was usu ...

player who was proclaimed king by the rebelling

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

of ancient

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

during the

Second Servile War The Second Servile War was an unsuccessful slave uprising against the Roman Republic on the island of Sicily. The war lasted from 104 BC until 100 BC. Background The Consul Gaius Marius was recruiting soldiers for the war against the Cimbri an ...

against Rome.

The Second Servile War

In 104 BC the

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important refor ...

was recruiting soldiers (legionaries and Italian and foreign auxiliaries) for the war against the

Cimbri The Cimbri (Greek Κίμβροι, ''Kímbroi''; Latin ''Cimbri'') were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic people (or Gaulish), Germanic people, or even Cimmerian. Several ancient sources indicate that ...

and

Teutones The Teutons ( la, Teutones, , grc, Τεύτονες) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with th ...

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

. He requested support from King

Nicomedes III of Bithynia Nicomedes III Euergetes ("the Benefactor", grc-gre, Νικομήδης Εὐεργέτης) was the king of Bithynia, from c. 127 BC to c. 94 BC. He was the son and successor of Nicomedes II of Bithynia. Life Memnon of Heraclea wrote that Nic ...

and was refused, on the grounds that every able-bodied man in Bithynia had been enslaved by Roman tax-farmers for being unable to pay their dues. The Senate issued orders that no slaves were to be taken from among the allies of Rome, and that all such slaves should be immediately freed.A. H. Beesely, ''The Gracchi, Marius, and Sulla Epochs of Ancient History'', (Kindle edition), ch. VI., p. 57 The Roman

Propraetor In ancient Rome a promagistrate ( la, pro magistratu) was an ex-consul or ex-praetor whose ''imperium'' (the power to command an army) was extended at the end of his annual term of office or later. They were called proconsuls and propraetors. Thi ...

of Sicily Publius Licinius Nerva, in obedience to the edict, at once freed around 800 slaves in his province; aside from awakening discontent among slaves from other nationalities who were not freed, this had the effect of alienating rich plantation owners who saw their slaves being taken from them. Alarmed, Nerva revoked the sentence of

manumission Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that t ...

, which provoked the slave population into revolt.

King Tryphon

Nerva then failed to react with decision; by false promises he was able to return one body of the rebels to slavery, while neglecting to address a more serious outbreak near Heraclea. A troop of 600 soldiers which he finally dispatched to quell this revolt was beaten and slaughtered; the slaves now gained confidence, having won a large supply of armaments and a strong leader, a former slave called Salvius. Following the example of

Eunus Eunus (died 132 BC) was a Roman slave from Apamea in Syria who became the leader of the slave uprising in the First Servile War (135 BC–132 BC) in the Roman province of Sicily. Eunus rose to prominence in the movement through his reputation as ...

, the slave-leader of the

First Servile War The First Servile War of 135–132 BC was a slave rebellion against the Roman Republic, which took place in Sicily. The revolt started in 135 when Eunus, a slave from Syria who claimed to be a prophet, captured the city of Enna in the middle o ...

, who had proclaimed himself an Antiochus of the

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

line, Salvius assumed the name Tryphon, from

Diodotus Tryphon Diodotus Tryphon ( el, Διόδοτος Τρύφων), nicknamed "The Magnificent" ( el, Ό Μεγαλοπρεπής) was a Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Initially an official under King Alexander I Balas, he led a revolt against Alexander ...

, a Seleucid ruler.

Morgantia

After his victory Salvius turned to besiege the city of

Morgantia Morgantina (Μοργάντιον / Μοργαντίνη in ancient greek) is an archaeological site in east central Sicily, southern Italy. It is sixty kilometres from the coast of the Ionian Sea, in the province of Enna. The closest modern ...

. Nerva tried to relieve the city but was badly beaten by Salvius' slave army. After they took Morgantia the rebel army's ranks grew until they numbered 20,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry. Athenion, another slave turned rebel, meanwhile rose in the west of Sicily, and marched to join his forces with Salvius's.

Rome Strikes Back

The Senate sent the ''

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...

perginus''

Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and government service, he conquered the eastern kingdom ...

to crush the rebellion. Salvius planned to respond to Lucullus' arrival by withdrawing into his fortress of Triocala and there hold out against the Romans. However, his general Athenion prevailed upon him not to hide behind the walls of and instead face the Romans in open battle. Marching to meet Lucullus, the rebels encamped at Scirthaea, twelve miles distant from the Roman camp. The next day, the two sides prepared for battle. According to

Diodorus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

, Tryphon's host numbered around 40,000 against Lucullus' 14,000. After much skirmishing, the main battle began as the two armies closed the gap separating them from their enemies and came together. At first it seemed as if the rebels would drive the Romans back, with Athenion and his cavalry inflicting heavy losses upon Lucullus. However, just as it seemed that the slaves might be victorious, Athenion was wounded and cut down from his horse. He was forced to feign death in order to save himself. The rebels, believing their brave general to be dead, lost heart and fled. Salvius Tryphon seeing his army vanishing before him, turned and joined them in flight back to his refuge in Triocala. Later that night, under cover of darkness, the wounded Athenion also escaped. With thousands of slaves cut down in the rout,

estimates that, as night fell, around 20,000 rebels lay dead, half of Tryphon's army destroyed and Lucullus victorious. While laying siege to the rebels stronghold Lucullus was recalled and it is alleged, spitefully cut short his campaign, retreating and burning provisions to render the task harder for his successor, Gaius Servilius.

Death

Salvius Tryphon died sometime after the battle of Scirthaea and was succeeded by Athenion. The Slave Revolt was crushed in 101 by the consul Manius Aquillius who supposedly killed Athenion with his own hand.Beesely, ibid.

References

External links

Chronology of world history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tryphon, Salvius 2nd-century BC Romans Rebel slaves in ancient Rome Italian musicians 2nd-century BC births 100 BC deaths Year of birth unknown European kings