Oenomaus (rebel slave)

For the king in Greek mythology, see Oenomaus.

Oenomaus was a gladiator from Gaul, who escaped from the gladiatorial school of Lentulus Batiatus in Capua. Together with the Thracian Spartacus and a fellow Gaul, Crixus, he became one of the leaders of rebellious slaves during the Third Servile War (73-71 BC), but died early in the war.

Oenomaus was involved in one of the first major successes of the slave army, the rout of the army of the praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber, who had tried to lay siege to the slave army near Mount Vesuvius.

Oenomaus fell in an early battle even before his fellow commander, Crixus, died, possibly during the winter of 73-72 BC when the slave armies were plundering cities and towns in the south of Italy.

In popular culture

• Oenomaus appears as a character in Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus.
• Oenomaus is played by Peter Mensah in the 2010 Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and the 2011 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, at first simply known by the title of "Doctore", which means 'teacher'—in his case, as trainer of gladiators. In the series his character is re-imagined as an African, rather than a Gaul.

Ancient sources

• Orosius, Histories 5.24.1-2
• Appian, Civil Wars 1.116
• Florus, Epitome 2.8.20

Secondary literature

• Bradley, Keith. Slavery and Rebellion in the Roman World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989. ISBN 0253312590