Cleon
Rebel slave general who fought against the Romans in Sicily
Intro | Rebel slave general who fought against the Romans in Sicily | |
Places | Italy Holy Roman Empire | |
is | Military personnel | |
Work field | Military | |
Gender |
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Cleon (b. unknown, Cilicia - d. 132BC, Sicily) was a Cilician, enslaved by the Romans and set to work in Sicily. He rose to become a general of slave rebels under the slave leader Eunus during the First Servile War in 132BC. He was killed in 132 BC.
Cleon was held as a Roman slave in Sicily, taken captive from Cilicia (modern-day Turkey). He met the slave Eunus, and became his general when Eunus began his rebellion in 135BC. In his early success, Eunus declared himself as Antiochus. The large uprising of slaves, estimated by Titus Livius and Orosius to number 70,000, was defeated by Roman forces in 132BC.