The First Sicilian Slave War, 135–132 b.c.

Abstract

The first major slave war faced by the Roman Republic erupted in the center of the island of Sicily, the state’s first overseas province. According to most accounts, the war began with a sudden outburst of violence in 135 b.c. in the city of Enna, the agricultural center of one of the richest agricultural plains on the island and also an important cult center of the goddess Demeter. A slave named Eunus led the initial outbreak, but the war also involved other smaller revolts, led by local slave leaders, in different parts of the island.