01x02 - Rebellion

[bunniefuu]

[YELLING]

NARRATOR: Previously
on Barbarians Rising...

The ancient world

divides in two. [YELLING]

Rome is ambitious.

Ruthless.

Built on blood and glory.

These are Rome's lands now.

NARRATOR: The barbarians unite

to challenge its growing power.

HANNIBAL: On Roman soil,

we are finally ready to fight!

[ARMY CHEERING]

...is a fight for our freedom.

NARRATOR: Now, Rome
spreads tyranny

as it storms across
the continent,

plundering the people, as the
barbarians step up the fight.

AUGUSTUS: Those inbreds
are still resisting.

We must bring them to heel.

NARRATOR: But the
larger Rome grows,

the more enemies it
brings on the inside.

The vast barbarian army,

waiting for a leader
to rise. [PEOPLE CHANTING]

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: Rome is now the supreme
power in the ancient world,

stretching across
Italy, to North Africa,

through Hispania and into Gaul.

GENERAL WESLEY K. CLARK: The
Roman fighting machine was, um,

incredibly disciplined and organized,

and it moved with a
rhythm, and with a power

that would break apart a less
disciplined and well-trained force.

These were professionals.

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

NARRATOR: The people beyond
the borders of the Republic,

who Rome calls barbarians,

become targets in a new
phase of domination.

Rome wants a number of things
from the territories it conquers.

It wants wealth. It wants glory.

And it wants human
capital. It wants sl*ves.

NARRATOR: Rome builds its power by
enslaving people from the lands it conquers,

transporting them into the Roman
provinces where they're sold,

to farm its fields and
fight in its armies.

An estimated 20% of
the Roman population,

as many as one million people, are
barbarian sl*ves living on Roman soil.

STRAUSS: sl*very is nothing
new to the ancient world.

What's different is the
scale of Roman sl*very.

This is sl*very on a massive scale.

NARRATOR: The fiercest
men among them

are forced to fight for sport,

competing in the
arena as gladiators.

[CHEERING]

ARYA: We think immediately
about the Colosseum,

we think about this huge arena,

50,000 to 60,000 spectators

egging on their
favorite competitors

fighting to the death.

But the reality in the
Republic was very different.

This scale was much more modest.

STEVE KERSHAW: In the
provincial amphitheaters,

you're talking about local events

that are dirty and sordid
and grubby and violent.

[BLOWS LANDING] [MAN GROANING]

[WHEEZING]

[PANTING]

[GROANING]

[SPITS]

[GASPING]

[GRUNTING]

[GRUNTING] [GROANING]

[CONTINUES GROANING]

[SCREAMING]

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

[SCREAMING]

COLONEL KEVIN W. FARRELL:
Gladiators were subject

to every type of abuse imaginable,

both physical and sexual.

[DOOR OPENING]

[MAN WHIMPERING]

[MAN SCREAMING]

[GRUNTS]

[GASPS]

[CHEERING]

[GRUNTS]

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[SHOUTS]

Most gladiators died
in their 20s or 30s.

Uh, it's a very, very dangerous job

and life expectancy is not long.

[GRUNTING] [SWORDS CLASHING]

[GROANING]

[FAINT CHEERING]

Spartacus. My name is Spartacus.

KERSHAW: Spartacus is a
bit of an enigma to us.

It seems that he came from Thrace.

He may have been from a noble background

because the name Spartacus itself

could be an aristocratic
name from that region.

It's a place known
for, uh, great fighters.

So much so that the Romans incorporate
those fighters into their military.

But ultimately, he is sold into sl*very,

and he ends up in a
Gladiatorial school in Capua.

[GRUNTING]

CROWD: [CHANTING] Spartacus!
Spartacus! Spartacus!

Spartacus! Spartacus!

Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!

[CROWD CONTINUES CHANTING]

One thing worse than sl*very

is to adjust to it.

And because it's painful and
violent, most people adjust.

[CROWD CONTINUES CHEERING]

Spartacus?

Spartacus, the invincible.

King of the sh*t house! [LAUGHING]

No man would want to
be in that situation,

and if there was any opportunity
to get out of it, you would.

[MAN COUGHING]

[DOOR OPENING]

I want to give you
something to remember me by.

[PANTING] No. No. No.

[SCREAMING]

NARRATOR: Rome tightens its
grip on the Mediterranean,

and as it grows,

the future that Hannibal
envisioned 140 years earlier

is now coming true.

The Republic is making
sl*ves of the barbarians.

But one man, Spartacus, is
making a break for freedom.

[GRUNTING]

[GRUNTING AND STRUGGLING]

Let's get out of this
sh*thole. [LAUGHING]

[PANTING]

Crixus, no!

[MEN GRUNTING, YELLING]

[PANTING]

Swords!

Now we have two swords.

Now we have two dead soldiers
and an army sure to follow.

[SPITS]

NARRATOR: Spartacus and a
group of 60 barbarian sl*ves

seize the opportunity to escape,

but they break out of
Capua without a plan.

He wants to get away from Capua.

Put distance between himself
and his former captives.

By the same token, he needs food, he
needs shelter and he needs weapons.

When they get over that wall,
they gotta hit the ground running.

Law enforcement's gonna
be right behind 'em,

once they figure out,
you know, they're gone.

NARRATOR: The clock is ticking
as the fugitives move south.

Rome responds by dispatching a
small militia to track them down.

Freedom is what's
motivating these individuals

to stay out there and again,
they'll fight their way out,

they'll k*ll somebody,
they'll k*ll themselves,

they'll do whatever it takes, because, uh,
you know, give me freedom or give me death.

NARRATOR: Nearly every Roman household
in the area holds barbarian sl*ves.

[WHIP CRACKING]

[WHIMPERING]

[EXHALES]

[PANTING]

[GRUNTING]

[GRUNTING]

[PANTING]

Spartacus' escape quickly
becomes a real problem

for the wealthy estate
owners of Campania.

Uh, first of all, he and
his men are trained K*llers.

Secondly, they begin
attracting other sl*ves to them.

[WOMAN SCREAMS] [MAN LAUGHING]

Look what I found. [SCREAMING]

Let's go.

Let's get to higher ground, where
we can see what's coming for us.

Here, they'll round us up like sheep.

Vesuvius?

[SCOFFS] Demons live there.

No.

They live here.

Up there, we can see for


we can bide our time. [CRYING]

You do what you want, Spartacus.

I'm going to enjoy my freedom.

[WOMAN SOBBING] Fine.

And when the Romans roast
you like the pig you are,

you tell them we're going
East, back to Thrace.

[WOMAN CRYING]

If you come with us, you'll likely die.

If I don't, then I'll die for sure.

Very quickly, we see Spartacus evolve.

He frees other sl*ves, there's strength
in numbers. He secures equipment.

Most significantly, he decides

to head toward Vesuvius,
his high ground, if you will.

When were you taken from Thrace?

I think maybe it was 10 years ago.

I've lost count.

SPARTACUS: They dragged
us from our homes.

Burned our towns.

To my great shame, I
fell into their hands...

[SIGHS]

...and, well, you know the rest.

[DEEP SIGH]

The others are getting anxious.

Tell them to enjoy their freedom.

We've got an army snapping
at our feet, my friend.

Spartacus is invincible. I
know that, we all know that.

He has got a plan.

I've seen a giant fade
to nothing before my eyes.

[YELLING, GRUNTING]

[PANTING]

[GRUNTING]

SPARTACUS: He wasn't even hurt.

He laughed at me, as if to say,
"Is that the best you can do?"

[SLOW HEARTBEATS]

I knew I had k*lled him.

And then he knew.

[PANTING]

So, you are invincible then.

DR. CLARENCE B. JONES:
People like Spartacus,

like some of the sl*ve
revolts in our country,

they made a decision

that they'd rather
make the effort,

to be free and risk their lives

than to spend one more day

as a sl*ve in captivity.

AQUILINA: Soldiers!

Roman soldiers!

CRIXUS: [PANTING] How many?

[PANTING] 200.

Maybe three.

And we're 60.

Maybe we shouldn't wait for them.

If we don't meet them here, we'll
have to meet them somewhere else.

Let's show them who we are.

NARRATOR: Three miles up
the slopes of Vesuvius,

Spartacus holds his
position on the high ground.

In the valley below, 300
Roman soldiers make camp.

There's only one road
up and down Vesuvius.

They feel that they've
got Spartacus cornered

and they merely have
to wait for him to try

to foolishly fight his way
out or to starve to death.

ARYA: Spartacus has his
men fashion ropes of vines

that they find growing
on Mount Vesuvius.

And launch a surprise
attack on the Romans.

ARYA: By choosing to
stand, by choosing to fight

and coming up with
a military solution,

Spartacus is showing
what kind of man he is.

[GROANS]

[MEN SCREAMING] [SWORDS CLANKING]

[ALL GRUNTING AND YELLING]

NARRATOR: Rome is rapidly expanding as
it seeks to dominate the ancient world.

[GRUNTING]

NARRATOR: But some are
rising up to fight back.

[YELLS]

The defeat at Vesuvius was a
complete surprise to the Romans,

they weren't expecting to be ambushed.

They thought they were
dealing with fugitives

and the fugitives would run rather than that
the fugitives would take the fight to them.

Best part about this,
they're brothers! [LAUGHS]

[CHUCKLING]

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[GROANS]

k*ll him.

[SHOUTS] Do it!

k*ll him!

Or I'll bury you both alive.

[GRUNTS] [GRUNTS]

Go to your commanders.

Tell them what you've
seen here today. Go!

No more.

We are better than this.

We've got as many
swords as we can carry.

Now we need to head north to freedom.

Before Rome unleashes hell on us.

NARRATOR: Spartacus isn't
looking to start a w*r.

He's searching for a way home.

Thrace is 700 miles away
through hostile territory.

His target is the Cisalpine pass,

a break in the Alps leading to the
homelands the barbarians left behind.

Word of Spartacus' victory
at Vesuvius spreads.

Barbarian sl*ves from
across the Republic

flee their masters to join the man
they believe will set them free.

He's reminiscent of
other people in history.

Abraham Lincoln never expected to be
leading an army engaged in a great civil w*r.

Nelson Mandela didn't expect that he would
become the head of a revolutionary movement.

And yet these people, like Spartacus,

show that it is possible
to rise to the occasion.

ARYA: The whole society
functions using sl*ves.

So if there is an uprising,

this is gonna really strike at
the core of how the Republic works.

NARRATOR: Rome's plan to bring
the barbarians within its border

is starting to backfire.

[CROWS CAWING] [FOOTSTEPS]

We need to get rid of
the Romans. Wipe 'em out.

Not just free ourselves. Yes, but here?

In their own country?

That's a death wish.

I don't care how many there are of us.

There will always be more of them.

But in our homelands, in Gaul,
in Thrace, it is possible.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But what we can do is we
can damage them, badly.

I say we go South to Sicily.

k*ll as many of 'em as
we can along the way.

Crixus, you are a warrior.

You will die in battle, that I know.

If we were an army, Crixus,
I would turn and fight,

but look around you.

These people are not warriors.

They're farmers, nurse maids, artisans.

Yes, more's the pity.

They want to live!
They've a right to live.

We are near the mountains.

And beyond the mountains, are the
roads, North to Gaul, East to Thrace.

Now you do what you will.

You die a warrior's death.

My greatest shame is
that I was captured.

Mine, too.

We valued our lives above our freedom.

Would you make that choice again?

No.

Then I'll see you in the next life.

NARRATOR: Spartacus and
Crixus divide their forces.

Crixus and 3,000
fighters splinter off

and move South to confront
the Romans head on.

He's set out to buy
Spartacus and his followers,

now numbering more than


KERSHAW: Crixus' split from
Spartacus gives Rome a major problem.

Now they have two very capable and very
mobile enemies that they have to deal with,

and they have to deal
with them piecemeal.

NARRATOR: While Spartacus
marches for the Alps,

Roman citizens flee in fear.

But first, they ensure the
sl*ves they leave behind

won't be able to
join the rebellion.

[MEN SHOUTING]

[FLIES BUZZING]

[BABY CRYING]

They blind them and lame
them so they cannot run.

You.

You are Spartacus?

I am.

No!

You bow to no one.

All I wanted was to
escape that hellhole Capua

and get back to Thrace.

AQUILINA: I know you didn't want it,

but the people now look to you.

They see you as salvation.

And where do they expect this to end?

What do they think I can do?

When a leader achieves success and
others start flocking to your standard,

then that responsibility
takes over yourself, also.

And, "How do I handle this?"
"What do I do with it?"

"How do I take care of my people

"and wield them into a
force of maximum power?"

And this is one of the
great problems of Spartacus.

NARRATOR: By the autumn of 73 BC,

Spartacus' flock is growing
at the rate of hundreds a day.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

NARRATOR: Rome is now
expanding faster than ever.

But its growth depends
on enslavement,

the latest weapon in the 300-year
w*r to crush the barbarians.

Spartacus' followers
now number 25,000,

with hundreds more joining
the cause every day.

Spartacus knows that the Romans
will be bent on his destruction.

He has no choice but to not
only lead, but to train an army.

No!

[GRUNTING]

COLONEL FARRELL: To
create an elite force,

you're talking an investment
of two to three years minimum.

[SWORDS CLASHING]

Hit me.

[GRUNTS]

COLONEL FARRELL: He doesn't
have the luxury of years

to create a well-trained cohesive army,

he has months at best.

ERIC L. HANEY: He had
this great mass of people

that could be slaughtered if
they fought as individuals.

So, he took that time that
he had during the winter

to train his forces and to turn
them into an army themselves,

that could meet the Romans on the field
of battle with a good chance of success.

[GRUNTS]

[SWORDS CLASHING]

[MEN GRUNTING]

NARRATOR: When Spring
finally arrives,

Spartacus and his newly trained
army, now numbering 50,000,

continue their journey home.

Every sl*ve owner is thinking,
"Will my sl*ves be next?"

"Will they join Spartacus?"

"Just how far is this going to
go?" It's an enormous threat.

NARRATOR: Rome responds, dispatching
four legions to crush the uprising.

DR. CAMPBELL: The estimates
are that at this point,

Crixus has about 20,000
Germans and Gauls with him, um,

Spartacus presumably has
about 50,000 people with him

and there is a real
danger at this point

that the rebellion actually
spreads beyond just sl*ves.

NARRATOR: The plan is
to intercept the rebels

using a classic Roman military
tactic called the Pincer Movement,

a simultaneous attack on
the enemy from two sides.

The first army,
under Consul Gellius,

has orders to go South
to wipe out Crixus,

then circle back to attack
Spartacus and his rebels.

The second army targets
Spartacus head on,

to cut off his
escape to the North,

and push his forces south into
the jaws of Consul Gellius.

Spartacus!

[PANTING] Tell me.

HUGO: The Romans are coming.

How many?

HUGO: Two legions.

Crixus...

Dead?

Not one was left alive.

You see how scared they are of us.

Not one was left alive.

[RUSTLING]

[MEN SCREAMING]

NARRATOR: For more
than a century,

Rome has been the dominant
power in the ancient world.

But now, a growing
sl*ve rebellion

threatens to take
it down from within.

[MEN YELLING]

[MEN GRUNTING]

[GASPING]

[HORSE NEIGHING]

CROWD: [CHANTING] Spartacus!
Spartacus! Spartacus!

[SHOUTING]

CROWD: [CHANTING] Spartacus!
Spartacus! AQUILINA: Spartacus!

[SCREAMING]

[SHOUTS] Spartacus!

[MEN GROANING]

NARRATOR: When the
massive sl*ve army

defeats the first two
legions sent to destroy them,

they're just miles from their
escape route through the mountains.

But two more legions
are still in pursuit.

We did the impossible today.

And the murderers of Crixus
are only half a day away.

You'd stay and wait for them? Why wait?

Spartacus.

Spartacus, we are home.

This is our escape.

The door is open.

It is.

Brothers.

Sisters.

Warriors.

The Romans outnumber us but
they only fight for money.

They have no answer for our
courage... [MEN CHEERING]

...and our thirst for freedom.

The men who m*rder*d our brother
Crixus have come to meet us here.

Do we run from them? MEN: No!

Do we let them come for us like wolves?

We are warriors. We're free to fight

and free to die if need be,
the way we choose, on our terms.

We can make Rome bleed.

We can make her weak
the way she made us.

If we can take Sicily, we can starve
Rome and bring her to her knees.

Let's avenge our fallen brothers!

You know, one of the great
mysteries of Spartacus is why

having come within sight of the Alps

does he turn around and
decide to stay in Italy.

And we can only speculate.

He's become more
than an individual.

He's become the
leader of an army.

There's so much vengeance
to wreak upon the Romans.

Why give up now?

NARRATOR: Spartacus
turns his army around,

and marches straight
into a collision

with Consul Gellius
and his 20,000 men.

[ALL GRUNTING] [SWORDS CLANKING]

When their armies meet, Spartacus
scores a critical victory.

Consul Gellius' legions are
the last viable defense force

standing between the rebel army and the
vital strategic territory of Sicily.

A province that provides
most of Rome's food supply.

If Spartacus can take the island,
he'll have Rome by the throat.

Sicily is of immense
geostrategic importance for Rome.

It's almost a dagger pointed
at the toe of the Italian boot.

Whoever controls Sicily
controls access to Italy.

NARRATOR: The Roman Senate moves
quickly to crush the barbarian threat.

They hand over supreme control
of the military to one man.

General Marcus Crassus.

Rich and ruthless,

he uses his fortune to raise an army
of 30,000 men to take on Spartacus.

Power that few men within Rome
have ever been given before.

DR. CAMPBELL: Crassus knows
that putting this rebellion down

despite the fact that it is
ostensibly an army of sl*ves,

is going to make him appear
to be the savior of Rome.

We're here.

Sicily is here.

And we need to be there.

NARRATOR: Spartacus plans to
bribe pirates and merchants

to ferry his army across
the sea to Sicily.

Go now, the three of you.

Race ahead, and make the deal.

Tell them that for every man,
woman and child they carry,

there will be five pieces of gold.

Go.

[GRUNTING]

NARRATOR: Spartacus' rebellion
has been the greatest threat

to Roman supremacy in a century.

Now he's aiming to crush the enemy by
cutting off their food supply from Sicily.

But General Crassus bribes the
Sicilian pirates with Roman gold

before Spartacus ever
reaches the coast.

NARRATOR: Spartacus has
beaten the odds for two years.

But now, just 19
miles from his goal,

he's left with only one option.

[MARCHING]

Turn and face his enemy.

[SOLDIERS SHOUTING]

Can you hear me, Spartacus?

Can you see this cage?

I'm going to take you
back to Rome in this cage.

Don't let them take you.

I won't.

And don't be afraid of death.

[SOLDIERS YELL w*r CRY]

[SWORDS CLASHING]

[GRUNTING]

[MEN SCREAMING]

[SOLDIERS CONTINUE YELLING]

[GROANS]

SOLDIER: k*ll him!

[LOUD GROAN] [SOLDIERS GRUNTING]

[SCREAMS] No!

[GRUNTING] [STABBING]

[GASPS]

[GRUNTING]

What better way for him to die than
to die fighting, to die as a warrior,

to die staying true to
his guiding principles?

NARRATOR: 40,000
barbarians fall at Messina.

Those who survive the battle
face a more gruesome fate.

[SCREAMING]

[SCREAMS]

[PANTING]

NARRATOR: Crassus parades the captured
sl*ves through the streets of Rome,

and crucifies all 6,000
along the Appian Way.

Rome's warning is clear.

Rise against us and you
will pay with blood.

Though Spartacus fails to
overthrow the Republic,

his uprising reveals
a weakness at the core

of its plan to dominate
the barbarians.

It tells us that Roman society
has tremendous vulnerabilities

and that the Roman system is not nearly
as strong as the Romans thought it was.

As Rome expands its frontier, it
encounters more and more resistance.

Military glory becomes the
quickest path to power.

Rome descends into chaos as a
handful of men fight for control.

The death of the Republic
really comes with one-man-rule,

and that one man is Julius Caesar.

He is the perpetual dictator.

And it's his successor, Augustus,
that takes it even further.

LINDSAY POWELL: Augustus was
the legal heir of Julius Caesar.

The hand-picked successor
of the great dictator.

He has the control of
nearly all of the Roman army,

and with that, he's able to
do pretty much what he wants.

NARRATOR: Augustus
succeeds where Caesar fails

and perfects the art
of empire building.

Forty-five million people, 15% of the world's
population, are now under Roman control.

Augustus doubles the size of
the empire during his reign,

pushing its borders deep
into barbarian territory,

completing the conquest
of Gaul and Spain,

and setting his sights on a new
prize to the north. Germania.

A vast, untamed wilderness
that will be the new front

in the barbarians'
fight for freedom.

Augustus invades in 12 BC

in search of resources like
cattle, amber, and leather.

But above all, he wants warriors.

FURLOW: The Romans viewed
these warriors from the North

as tall, fierce, blood
thirsty warriors who,

if turned into soldiers for the Empire,
could protect the Empire and help it expand.

[MEN YELLING]

NARRATOR: Defeating these
tribes won't be easy.

The Empire ignites a storm of resistance
from the moment it sets foot in Germania.

[SOLDIERS YELLING]

[SWORDS CLASHING]

NARRATOR: The campaign
drags on for 30 long years.

The Roman army spent huge amounts of
money in order to conquer all of Germania.

NARRATOR: But still, the
Germans refuse to fall.

Leading the resistance are
the Arivarii and the Cherusci,

who fight to keep Rome at bay.

Segimerus is Chief
of the Cherusci,

who grooms his sons,
Arminius and Flavus,

to one day take his place
and lead their people.

But before his oldest son,
Arminius, can claim his birthright,

the Empire steps up its
as*ault on his tribe,

unleashing a new weapon
from its arsenal of tyranny.

[ARMINIUS GRUNTING AND SHOUTING]

NARRATOR: The Roman Empire is the
ancient world's undisputed superpower.

[MARCHING]

It spans 2.5 million
square miles of territory

from Hispania to Syria, a
dominion built on barbarian blood.

And still the Empire grows.

It sets out to conquer Germania.

[MEN YELLING]

But unable to defeat
the barbarians by force,

Rome once again resorts
to a familiar strategy.

It begins to negotiate
deals with the rebels,

promising gold and peace
in exchange for surrender.

One by one, battle-weary Germanic
tribes accept Rome's terms.

But this time, the Empire
requires something more.

To secure their loyalty,
Rome forces the tribes

to surrender their
sons to the Empire.

A generation of heirs born to
be the next leaders of Germania

become Romans instead.

These sons will now be raised
and accustomed to Roman ways.

And ideally, they would see
themselves as more Roman,

than as Germanic barbarians.

[CLAMORING IN DISTANCE]

[ARMINIUS GRUNTING]

ARMINIUS: Help! Help!

Let... Let go!

Father, stop them! [GRUNTING]

Thusnelda! Take this. [SHOUTS]

Help!

You can't do this!
My father's the chief!

He's the chief!

Let go!

[GRUNTING]

Arminius! ARMINIUS: Uncle!

Uncle!

Remember who you are.

Cherusci. Always.

ARMINIUS: Always.

NARRATOR: This policy
is called Romanization

and is largely successful,

but it depends on the
obedience and loyalty

of the barbarians being brought
inside the walls of Rome.

This is messing around with people's sense
of themselves, their sense of identity,

their sense of the landscape

and their sense of family

and that is when the
stakes get dangerously high.

Brother.

I have heard good things of both of you.

Thank you, sir. Flavus,

you have distinguished
yourself as a servant of Rome.

And as reward, I will
grant you a promotion.

You will serve under

General Germanicus in the east.

Prove yourself in the
theater of w*r, Flavus,

and you will rise in the ranks

just like your brother.

Congratulations on making
the rank of Equestrian.

Our most trusted officers.

Well done, Arminius.

A remarkable feat for, uh,

a barbarian.

You will be posted to Germania.

Governor Varus will continue

to monitor the borders of the Rhine

and I will send auxiliaries for you

to aid the garrison of the North.

Those inbreds are still resisting,

we must bring them to heel.

You return to your
homeland not as a barbarian,

but as a son,

a son of Rome.

FLAVUS: He's our Emperor.

Can you show some respect?

ARMINIUS: He's no God, Flavus,

even though you think him to be one.

You are just angry that they're
sending you back to Germany,

away from your villas and privilege,
back to the rain and filth.

Remember what you are.

Where you're from. I remember enough.

I remember that I hated it.

It was our home, Flavus.

That was 15 years ago, brother.

And for 15 years I have dreamt of
the Rhine, to taste the waters again.

This is our home now.

Our father surrendered us to
Rome. To bring peace to our tribe.

To bring gold, Arminius.

Our noble father surrendered
his sons and his weapons

for Roman gold.

NARRATOR: Rome's 400-year march toward
total domination of the ancient world

comes north to Germania

where the barbarians'
fiercest resistance yet

is keeping the Emperor from
claiming his ultimate prize.

[GRUNTING]

Born to the Cherusci tribe but
captured and raised by the Empire,

Arminius returns to his homeland

as one of the highest ranking
barbarians in the Roman army,

with orders to
crush the uprising.

FURLOW: Arminius would have
been greatly conflicted.

In all likelihood, he
would have burned villages.

Slaughtered whole peoples.

And then as he
stands at the Rhine,

looking eastwards
towards his own homeland

he would have been thinking,
"I may be called upon to do

"the same thing for
Rome to my own people."

Arminius! Remember who you are.

Cherusci. Always.

NARRATOR: Arminius will
be under the command

of the Emperor's most
notorious enforcer,

General Varus.

Quintilianus Varus had a
reputation for using raw Roman power

to deter rebellions and to put them
down fiercely whenever they occurred.

NARRATOR: Dispatched to crush the
barbarian resistance once and for all,

Varus intensifies the efforts to round
up children for surrender to Rome.

And imposes harsh taxes on the tribes,
to be paid under penalty of death.

Take me to Varus.

VARUS: Any more skirmishes,
and I want them pacified again.

Well, what are you waiting for?

I can't drink this
filth for much longer.

Arminius.

The boy hostaged by his tribe to Rome.

The boy who rose through the
ranks to become Equestrian,

in our great and mighty army.

What an abomination.

I need an enforcer,

someone capable of enlisting
warriors and capturing tax evaders.

Can you do that?

Yes, sir.

And how would you do that?

I know how the Germans think.

Of course you do.

That's what you are.

A Roman hero with a barbarian soul.

We need more men for our armies.

For some reason, the Emperor
wants these uncultured savages.

Most of the tribal leaders will
fall in line and give up their sons

without much resistance.

Like your father did.

Those that don't will answer to you.

Arminius.

I do not have to question
your loyalties here, do I?

You know who you belong to now.

For the Emperor.

For the Empire.

VARUS: Your once proud nation.

This is what you left behind, Arminius.

Germans selling Germans, for
nothing more than trinkets.

Is that what I am, is
it? A trinket of Rome?

What else are you?

You climb to the highest rank of
any barbarian in the Roman army,

and yet the Emperor sends you back here?

Who am I to question
the Emperors wisdom?

After all,

you crucified 2,000 Jewish
rebels in the Syrian uprising,

and the Emperor saw it
fit to send you here.

Sir.

[CHUCKLES]

Careful, Arminius, I'm
beginning to like you.

[CLICKS TONGUE]

[GROANING]

Why haven't you not
paid your taxes, Emsger?

I have.

VARUS: Not all.

I'll take her instead.

[SCREAMING] [GRUNTING]

Take the boys.

They would be more useful, no?

[GRUNTING]

[SPEAKING GERMAN]

VARUS: What did he say?

He called me a traitor.

Very well.

Do not mistake my leniency
for weakness, Emsger.

The Emperor will have his payment,

one way or another.

The sons of the Arivarii

will cover your debt.

I'll k*ll you!

[EMSGER SCREAMING]

[GROANING]

You are Cherusci tribe, yes? Yes.

You will go and collect
their unpaid taxes.

Show them we are no longer in
a position of striking deals.

Yes, sir.

Come down hard on them, Arminius.

They must fear you. [BOYS SOBBING]

No negotiations, grain, soldiers,

and silver. That is all.

NARRATOR: Arminius's people, the
Cherusci, live in small tribal groups

scattered across
North-Western Germania,

united by alliances forged in w*r

and steeped in a tradition
that reveres its ancestors.

ARMINIUS: Wait here.

[SOBBING]

[CRYING]

[WAILING]

When Arminius sees the reality
of Roman imperial domination

and what it means to
his people, he's faced

with difficult choices.

What does he do?

Is he going to be the enforcer of Rome's
Empire that he's been trained to be?

Is he going to turn back to his own
society and lead resistance to Rome?

And if he does decide to take that
path, will anyone believe him?

At last.

Our favorite son has returned.

An Equestrian, no less.

Your father would have been very proud.

As am I.

I see you've taken my family home?

When your father died, I only
did as was expected of me.

The bones of our ancestors
lay scattered and plundered.

My own father's grave defiled.

Yet you do nothing.

Your countrymen take taxes.

Yet, you have still defaulted, Segestes?

With our favorite son
rising to Equestrian,

I hoped we could renegotiate?

That we could have a special favor.

Rome favors no one but itself.

Bring me the harvest, or its value
in silver, or you will be in contempt.

Where is Iguiomerus?

I would stay away
from him if I were you.

Your uncle is very
much like your father.

Wants nothing but trouble.

Where is he?

Where he always is.

Thusnelda?

[PANTING] No!

I am not what you think me to be.

I heard you were back.

From Emsger.

I'm not one of them.

Your actions will decide that.

So...

Who are you?

I'm Cherusci.

Like you.

Cherusci are not in the habit of
abducting their friend's children.

I had to save his girl. I can
get his boys to freedom later.

I had no choice.

Your father was devastated.

Surrendering his sons to Rome.

You, putting on that uniform.

Not knowing what you would become.

Drove him to his grave.

His son,

the Roman.

But that's not who I am.

So you say.

I was just a boy, Uncle.

It was not my choice to
go to their hateful city.

I did what I had to do to survive.

I did what I did to protect my brother.

I have done horrible
things in their armies,

things that I will never be able to
forgive, but I will do them no more.

I must atone.

How?

By doing what you and he did.

I must fight.

You are a Roman now.

I am Roman.

And that's why I can beat them.

They will never suspect me,

Arminius, the Equestrian.

I know their movements,

how they fight,

their weaknesses.

If we can gather enough men,

we can beat Varus and his legions.

Drive Rome from our lands.

We can be free again.

Why would anyone trust you,

the Roman?

You will vouch for me, Uncle.

Why would I do that?

Because I am my father's son.

REVEREND JACKSON: Out
of the crucible,

of unfreedom emerges somebody with
an extra dose of will and sacrifice

and becomes leader.

NARRATOR: Arminius'
uncle, Iguiomerus,

travels to all the Western
tribes, seeking allies.

As word spreads, it
awakens a sleeping giant.

Roman imperial domination challenged
something that lies at the heart of everything

that we're told about Germanic society.

That it's all about
political independence.

It's all about political freedom

and faced with a challenge to
those ideological traditions,

I think a lot of Germanic warriors
felt they had no choice but to fight.

Arminius acts as a catalyst
to bring everyone together.

And that makes him dangerous, much more
dangerous than Rome could ever imagine.

NARRATOR: Arminius knows
Rome's plans and tactics.

Intelligence he'll
use to take them down.

He's devising a battle plan that
combines the barbarians' guerilla tactics

with the scale and
precision of a Roman attack.

Arminius is uniting the
Germanic tribes under one leader

for the first time.

NARRATOR: To guard
against betrayal,

Arminius decides that tribal
leaders must join, or die.

Those who resist, give
him the perfect cover.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

This one wouldn't pay his taxes.

[SCOFFS]

Food supplies are low, and
I tire of this rat-hole.

I don't want to be here
any longer than I have to.

We move South for our winter camp

in seven days.

Or does that not agree with you?

I will make sure the tribes have
made their contributions before then.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

The plan has changed.

We have seven days.

OR: The barbarian
tribes of Germania

are uniting to fight for their
freedom from the Roman Empire.

Leading them is Arminius, a son of
Germania, who was raised as a Roman,

an enemy on the inside,

with a plan to defeat the Empire
using its own battle plans,

combined with a barbarian
guerilla tactics.

[GRUNTS]

[BOTH GRUNTING]

Where are my boys? Where are they?

[BOTH GRUNTING]

Where are they?

[PANTING]

They've been taken to Rome.

Then they're dead, you b*stard!

When they get word of
your rebellion in Rome,

they will k*ll them.
They were dead anyway.

They would have been
taken next year as fodder.

At least this way they have a chance.

Your daughter did not.

You must trust me, Emsger,

as I trust you.

[GRUNTS]

It's all right.

You do as you must.

But hear me out.

I need you and the Arivarii
to join with me, with us.

Our tribes have always been allies.

Varus marches South in seven days.

And we need to gather
as many men as we can.

Varus commands three legions,

around 20,000 men.

We will be slaughtered.

We cannot beat them on open ground.

We know that, our scars are proof.

We force them into the Teutoburg Forest.

Varus is no fool, he will never
take his army through the forest.

Then we make him!

Varus believes this whole
area is under his control.

So we make him believe there is
a rebellion brewing in the East.

And we give him no choice
but to take the forest.

Arminius, we can't...

We can! And we will!

I have fought with them long enough,

I know their weaknesses. Without
their formations, they cannot fight.

And I know our strengths.

How do we hide an army?

IGUIOMERUS: We build
ramparts along the tree-line.

We've done it before.

It'll be too late before they see us.

We can slaughter them all.

[SIGHS]

NARRATOR: Arminius has
designed a complex battle plan

that depends on luring Varus and his
legions into the Teutoburg Forest.

There, the tribes have hand-built a
primitive rampart, two miles long,

concealed by the dense woodland.

He cuts through terrain
that's perfect for an ambush,

a thin track with a steep bank on
one side and marshland on the other.

He aims to funnel the Roman
legions into the k*ll zone.

Where 15,000 Germanic warriors will
stream from behind their fortifications,

and slaughter the
Romans where they stand.

NARRATOR: Now, more than
ever, secrecy is critical.

But as the tribes grow more
desperate under the occupation,

it becomes impossible
to maintain.

HEATHER: There's plenty of
opportunity for divide and rule.

You only have to offer a not
massively advantageous set of terms

to one Germanic group and they
will fight their neighbors.

What's even more
incredible is that there's

a member of his own tribe in
the end who will sell him out.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Find Arminius. Now.

Never underestimate your enemy.

Always think the other guy's stronger,

smarter, better than you are,
because it keeps you hungry.

[HORSE GALLOPING]

We are betrayed. Varus knows.

Her father sold us
out for gold and favor.

Varus has sent riders to get you.

Get her to safety. East,

to the Elbe River.

Where are you going?

Segestes condemns us all to the blade.

I need to find a way
to reason with Varus.

Varus will cut your heart out, boy.

The Empire has already cut my heart out.

Arminius is under an
enormous amount of pressure,

he's really riding both sides
of the fence and on the one hand,

he's preparing the ambush,
preparing those troops,

getting ready for this slaughter,

and on the other hand, he's
gotta perform his normal functions

as a Roman military man.

And all the while, Varus
is becoming suspicious.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

You've been cut?

Ah. Resistance from a Chauci leader.

He now rots in the marshes
along with his ancestors.

You can never trust Germans.

There are always
undercurrents of deceit.

Huh.

Cover it. He already has a
taste for barbarian flesh.

Your old friend Segestes was here.

And what tax concession
did he barter for this time?

He says there are fires
of a barbarian rebellion.

He says that it is you
who fans the flames.

That you mean to k*ll me.

[SCOFFS]

That wine will k*ll you
quicker than I ever could.

The locals piss in it.

But my gut tells me
the rebellion is real.

I would not move South.

I would hold up here for the winter,

pacify any tribal uprising.

Why would Segestes say such things

when he knows the price of lying?

I am to wed his daughter.

You knew?

I too have ears and eyes
everywhere, Arminius.

He promised her to another

in order to unite their two tribes.

A move that stands to
make him very powerful.

But he'll lose it all when
I take her back to Rome.

Send auxiliaries to reinforce
our garrisons in the east.

Protect the route to the Rhine.

They piss in it, you say?

Uh-huh.

I'll drink to that.

[CHUCKLES]

Varus suspects an insurgence.

The scouts will be vigilant.

We still have over a
mile of ramparts to build.

If they suspect anything...

We will be ready.

If they see anything out of
place, any bit of the structure,

we're all dead.

Look around you, Arminius,

there are thousands prepared to fight.

Prepared to die.

They need this more than you.

We will be ready.

HEATHER: Just to conceive of
how you get the Roman Army

spread out, in a line,

in terrain that will nullify
all its military advantages.

This is an extraordinary act of
intelligence, daring and imagination.

NARRATOR: Arminius builds a dam
to turn the only other forest path

into an impassable swamp.

This will force Varus' men
directly into the line of fire.

Finally, Arminius lays the bait.

He gets his allies, the Cimbri,

to start a revolt
for Varus to crush.

The only way to
reach the uprising,

is to travel east through
the Teutoburg forest.

Most courageous of all, has to
put himself right beside Varus

and guide him, walk him
into the trap personally.

VARUS: Tell me of the Cimbri.

A once proud tribe of the Rhine.

They have no love of the Empire.

Why?

Your predecessor burnt
their families alive.

If the Cimbri are in revolt, they
should be crushed before it escalates.

We should make a point.

And what point are we trying to make?

That any disloyalty
will be met by force.

If we let this fester over the winter
it will be out of control when we return.

[SIGHS]

Tomorrow we leave this camp and I lead
my men through this hostile territory.

They're nothing more than farmers, they
wouldn't attack three marching legions.

And if the tribes are
aligned as Segestes says?

[SIGHS]

The route is open,

but we lead through marshlands.

Progress will be slow.

But defendable.

[SMACKS LIPS]

I shall sleep on it.

Let the Gods...

...and the wine decide.

Arminius.

Tomorrow, you shall ride alongside me.

As you wish.

Tonight, the Gods judge me.

Tomorrow, they will judge us all.

NARRATOR: The barbarians of ancient
Germania have united for the first time,

to reclaim their freedom and expel
the Empire from their homeland.

Their fate depends on
their native son, Arminius.

Varus orders his 20,000
Roman legionaries

deep into the dense
Teutoburg Forest.

Hidden there are 15,000 Germanic
warriors poised to strike.

NARRATOR: When the time comes,

small bands of Germanic
warriors hiding in the marsh

will attack on Arminius' signal.

They'll launch a series of
lightning strikes as a distraction,

giving him the cover he needs to
escape and lead his people into battle.

Arminius' entire plan depends upon the
success of his disinformation campaign.

POWELL: He has to get
Varus and his commanders

and all the various other troops
to go the appointed route.

That's where he's laid the trap.

If they go another route, the problem
is at that point the whole thing is lost.

The other route is also flooded.

Can we cross the marsh?

Not without the fork. Go around.

If you value your tongue,

don't even think about
questioning me, boy.

You dare bring an entire army to a halt?

[MEN YELLING] [SWORDS CLASHING]

[SOLDIERS SCREAMING]

[GRUNTS]

[MUFFLED WHIMPERING]

I have a message for Rome.

[MUFFLED SCREAM]

[GRUNTS]

[PANTING]

[BLOOD SPLATTERS]

Arminius.

These are for you.

They were your father's.

VARUS: Arminius.

[HORSE NEIGHING]

The scouts are upon us.

Get it covered now.

We can't strike until
the vanguard has passed.

We wait for Varus.

If we hit them too
soon, they'll regroup.

Do not let them get into formation.

IGUIOMERUS: In the
deafening silence of battle,

you discover who you really are.

Cherusci.

NARRATOR: Next time
on Barbarians Rising...

[CROWD CLAMORING]

[SPITS]

I will k*ll you. Then let us begin.

[SOLDIERS SHOUTING]

[SCREAMS]

[SCREAMS] For freedom!
[SOLDIERS SHOUTING]

You will regret making enemies of us!

I doubt that, you filthy animal.

What are you doing with our queen?

[GASPS] No!

Teach her some respect.

[GASPING AND SCREAMING]

[YELLS]

[SCREAMING]

[ALL SHOUTING]