ABSTRACT
In this article we discuss the relationship between the general picture of the Servile Wars in Italy (with special regard to the Third one, more commonly known as The Spartacus’ War, between 73-71 BCE) and episodes of Dionisiac ecstasies in different moments and places related to the revolt. The snake is a particularly important animal in this scenery given their popularity in Dionisiac cults or their equivalents in, e.g., India. The use of snakes-Dionisus as propaganda for the rebellion is in great measure attributed to Spartacus’ female companion, herself a keen Dionisiac devotee.
Keywords:
religious syncreticism in Antiquity; cultural resistance in the Ancient World; Servile Wars; ancient historiography