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(#6) He Killed Part of His Own Army After Spartacus Defeated Him
When the Third Servile War happened in 73 BCE, the Romans were nervous. The rebelling slaves were led by Spartacus, a former slave, warrior, and gladiator, and he was so well loved that he was becoming the topic of story and song. They needed to crush the rebellion, and fast - so they put the wealthy Crassus in charge of the army.
Crassus's initial attacks didn't do much good, and he was thoroughly defeated. Embarrassed and enraged that he had failed, Crassus decided to teach his men a lesson. He called the 500 of his men he decided had shown the most cowardice forward, and made them draw lots. Any of the men who were marked - one in ten - were separated, and Crassus killed all of them. This act, decimation, had been used by previous generals, but it was a dead practice at the time. It made the point that he was a ruthless leader, but it did nothing to inspire love or loyalty in his men.
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(#4) He Made A Fortune Off Of House Fires
Fires were an all-too-common hazard in Rome, and no organized fire brigade existed to extinguish them. Once Crassus realized this, he created his own personal fire brigade (possibly the world's first) in order to put out fires.
The move wasn't as selfless as it seemed. When Crassus saw a house on fire, he would approach the owners of the house and offer to buy the the burning building, as well as the ones in danger of fire next door, at rock bottom prices. If the owners sold the house to him, he would put out the fire. If the owners refused to sell, Crassus would let the structures burn.
Historians think this scheme allowed Crassus to purchase the bulk of property in Rome.
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(#11) He Helped Purge The Senate In Order To Take Political Power
Once Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar joined together, the First Triumvirate began their massive bid for power. Rome was in turmoil, and the time was right for them to take center stage in government.
First, the three agreed to stand together to oppose any legislation they might dislike. Then, they bumped out Bibulus, who was co-consul with Caesar, so that Caesar could be consul all on his own. It wasn't long before both Crassus and Pompey became high-ranking officials in the senate, and from there it was a process of elimination. The three men purged the senate of anyone they disliked, and passed laws to benefit them. They even cleared most of the debt Crassus owed on property, making him even richer.
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(#15) He Was The Son Of A War Hero
Crassus didn't earn the entirety of his immense fortune himself. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, thanks to the exploits of his father, Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus. He was a famed politician who had helped with the agrarian reforms back in the days of Tiberius Gracchus. This had afforded him a great deal of wealth, and his family was well respected. He was also a successful general. Perhaps his father's political and military success pushed Crassus along his career paths.
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(#1) According to One Legend, His Mouth Was Filled With Molten Gold
Crassus was ultimately killed while waging war against the Parthians. According to one story, soldiers cut off his head to take back as a trophy. They knew well Crassus's reputation for loving money more than anything else, and decided to make a fitting tribute to his memory. They melted gold and poured it into the head. Then, the soldiers paraded the head through the streets.
In some accounts, Crassus was captured alive, and then had gold poured into his mouth until it overflowed. Either way, the legend served as a cautionary tale to many children throughout Rome: don't be greedy, because greedy men get what they deserve.
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(#14) He Was Intensely Greedy And Mostly Disliked
Once Crassus returned to Rome after Cinna's death, he started buying up property. In particular, he purchased homes that were once owned by victims of Sulla, the very man his father had supported. The property was cheaply auctioned, so Crassus nabbed it all to turn over for profit. The move rubbed a lot of politicians and military men the wrong way.
It seems strange that a man who was so disliked gained so much power. But the simple fact of the matter is that Crassus bought his influence. He may have been greedy, but Crassus knew which palms to grease in order to get what he wanted in life.
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Gladiators were a very important entertainment industry in ancient Rome. Except for the huge Colosseum in Rome, there are large and small arenas in different cities. Gladiators belonged to a special group of people who were forced or voluntary. The most famous gladiator in ancient history is Spartacus, who led the largest slave rebellion in Roman history and was eventually killed by a Roman general, his name was Marcus Licinius Crassus.
Marcus Licinius Crassus was Caesar's mentor, and one of the richest people in Roman history. He has achieved success in both political and military fields. The random tool introduced 18 shocking life of this most influential Roman general.
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