Primary Sources

                As have we all, this week I have been combing through my primary sources trying to make a decision on which ones to use in my analysis paper. Seeing as most of my sources are very short, a few pages at best, this is not an easy task to accomplish. I have found a few that I had not considered originally that I think will be coming in handy. The reason I had not originally considered them was that they were not related to Spartacus, but because I have now done a bit of a directional switch with my paper, making it more of a comparison style of paper, at least a few of these are now going to be necessary.

                A source that I have decided to use is titled The First Slave War on the Island of Sicily: First Version. It was written in the first century B.C. by Diodorus Siculus, and is going to play a pretty significant role in my paper. This particular source is helpful because it describes in detail many of the events of the revolt, including aspects of the governmental ideas and laws that did not place enough restrictions on slave owners. Siculus points to this being a major reason that the revolt occurred. Siculus also brings in the idea of bandits and how they were a significant factor when looking into how the revolt gained footing. This aspect could be similar to how Spartacus began his revolt sixty years later.

                This source also backs up much of what my secondary sources said concerning religious aspects in detail that I had before seen. It explains how Eunus prophesied that a goddess foresaw that he was going to become a king. He later used the prophesy as justification for beginning his rule. Siculus also goes into detail on him being a magician, and how that played a role in the takeover. Overall, I believe this source was an excellent find for my paper. The reader claims that the sources that come after this are minor sources to help back this one up, so I guess that I chose the correct one.