The accuracy of the movie Spartacus as an historical biography is mostly fiction with some facts. Spartacus the movie is a genuinely inspiring story that is well told, apart from the fact that historical details are lacking almost completely, and what details there are being somewhat vague, Hollywood is fond of exercising poetic license to the fullest in order to make their historical classics more exciting to viewers.
There were many historically incorrect factors that contributed to the movie. A few minor setbacks was in a crowd scene, spot slave-extras were wearing wristwatches and sandshoes which were obviously not invented yet.
Some major historically incorrect factors were:.
In the movie, Spartacus was born into slavery then educated as a Gladiator, whereas the real Spartacus was a freeborn who served as an auxiliary in the Roman army. He then deserted the army, was outlawed, captured, sold into slavery, and trained at the gladiatorial school.
In the movie, Spartacus escaped from the gladiatorial school with the rest of the gladiators with not many weapons. The escape was not planned it was just a spur of the moment decision. The real Spartacus escaped with 70-80 gladiators, seizing the knives in the cook's shop and a wagon full of weapons.
In the movie, Spartacus gets a lady companion in the gladiatorial school but he abuses the right so they take her away from him. He then falls in love with her, gets married and has a baby. The real Spartacus had a wife who shared in his escape and was then living with him.
In the movie there is no chronology on locations. They do not go up north to the alps and fight. Whereas the real Spartacus went from Capua to Thurii in 73BCE, then from Thurii up to the alps then down to Brundisium in 72BCE, in 71BCE Spartacus was killed in southern Italy.
In the movie, Spartacus and the other gladiators fought against the Roman army, they lost the fight and Spartacus and the other slaves were captured by the Roman army, and Spartacus was crucified.
