EUNUS

flourished 2nd century BC leader of a slave revolt against the Romans in Sicily from 135 to 132 BC. A Syrian by birth, Eunus was a slave at Enna in Sicily, where he gained the confidence of other slaves in a revolt against their masters. Before long 70,000 slaves were organized into a fighting force. Enna was captured, and Eunus, who called himself King Antiochus, soon controlled much of central and eastern Sicily. The first armies that Rome sent against the rebels were severely defeated. The consul Lucius Calpurnius Piso managed to reach Enna in 133, however, and his successor, Publius Rupilius, completely suppressed the revolt in the following year. Eunus was captured and died in prison.