| Ortius | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| First appearance | S0E01: Past Transgressions S1E02: Sacramentum Gladiatorum S2E01:Fugitivus S3E01: Enemies of Rome | |
| Last appearance | S3E08: Separate Paths | |
| Profession | Gladiator (House of Batiatus) Escaped Slave Rebel | |
| Race | Numidian | |
| Relationships | Spartacus (Leader, deceased) Titus Lentulus Batiatus (Dominus, deceased) Quintus Lentulus Batiatus (Dominus, deceased) Ulpius (Former Doctore, deceased) Oenomaus (Doctore, deceased) Crixus (Rival/Friend, deceased) Rhaskos (Friend, deceased) Leviticus (Friend) Timocles (Friend) Lydon (Friend) Gnaeus (Friend, deceased) Hamilcar (Friend, deceased) Litaviccus (Friend, deceased) Fulco (Friend, deceased) Tyronius (Friend) Ashur (Rival, deceased) Dagan (Rival, deceased) | |
| Status | Deceased (Killed by Roman Soldiers) | |
| Actor/Actress | Fortune Shumba | |
Ortius was a Gladiator in the House of Batiatus and later a rebel under Spartacus' command.
Character Outline[]
Of Numidian origin, Ortius was originally a gladiator in the House of Batiatus, but escaped along with Spartacus and many of his other fellow gladiators. Ortius has a lively, cheerful disposition and is one of the more exuberant and uninhibited members of the Batiatus' ludus and the rebel army. He is of average height, has a solid build, dark skin, short black hair, and sometimes wears a short beard. The way he is armed and armored both as a gladiator and as a member of the rebel army suggests that he may have been trained as a Murmillo. He is one of the most skilled warriors, having already been a member of the brotherhood at the beginning of Gods of the Arena, as well as most of the war. Ortius served faithfully throughout the majority of the rebellion until he was killed by the Romans while ighting alongside Crixus outside of Rome.
Gods of the Arena[]
Ortius is a gladiator and is seen mostly training and socializing with his fellow gladiators at the ludus. By the way he is armed and armored, he appears to fight in the style of a Murmillo.
Ortius would then bear witness to when Ulpius goes mad and try to kill Oenomaus in a seeming fit of jealousy only to fall at his student's hands.
Ortius is later one of the first victims of Quintus and Lucretia's orgy for the Roman noblemen in Beneath the Mask.
He would be present when Batiatus makes his speech to all avaiable gladiators in the ludus during his father's funeral before Oenomaus, now fully embracing his role as Doctore, gives the signal for the gladaitors to begin their training once again to honor the dead.
When Gannicus is granted freedom, Ortius and the other gladiators bid him farewell and see him out of the ludus before returning back to the scheduled training.
Blood and Sand[]
Ortius is first seen jeering
Ortius mocks Spartacus and his fellow recruits as they enter the ludus.
Spartacus and the other trainees with him when they first arrive at the ludus, but would come to respect the Thracian as he gains the mark.
A gladiator of notable ranking, Ortius proves himself capable in combat, and spends most of his time training and socializing with the other gladiators as well as fornicating with women brought.
When Spartacus and Crixus began the revolt in the ludus, Ortius took up arms and killed many Romans, soldiers and citizens alike before escaping the ludus to follow Spartacus in taking their Vengeance on Rome.
Vengeance[]
Ortius survives the gladiator uprising and continues his life as a rebel in Spartacus' army. He takes part in training the new recruits and participates in many battles.
When Agron breaks apart from Spartacus and Crixus and announces his intention to move separately toward Vesuvius, Ortius is among those rebels who choose to follow him there.
Ortius lounges in the temple.
He takes to living in the rebel sanctuary at Vesuvius, doing training and labor work around the temple.
He eventually fights in the battle against the forces of Glaber and Varinius. Ortius comes to the temple's defense with the rebels and sees many Romans dead, but is eventually forced to retreat to the top of the mountain with the others.
While on the mountain, Ortius would witness the death of Ashur at the hands of Naevia before aiding in making ropes from the mountain's vines to allow Spartacus, Crixus, Agron and Gannicus to scale down the mountain and flank the Romans.
Led by Oenomaus, Ortius and the other rebels descend from the mountains to which they manage to annihilate Glaber's forces.
War of the Damned[]
Ortius continues to serve in the rebel army, fighting in all of their major battles, proving himself an asset in Spartacus' forces.
He participates in the taking of Sinuessa en Valle, slaying many Roman guards and citizens alike until Spartacus ends the bloodshed by claiming they have taken the city.
As Spartacus and Agron enter a brothel in Sinuessa attempting to make conversation with Heracleo, Ortius is seen wildly having sex with a prostitute near the entrance. During his sex act, he is being encouraged by his comrades Timocles and Lydon, with Lydon going so far as to pour wine over Ortius' head.
When Crixus spurs the rebels into a frenzy, Ortius is among the majority who take part in the slaughter of the surviving Romans. He is seen prowling the streets among a group that includes Crixus, Naevia, and Lysandros. He bears close witness to Crixus' attempt to behead Laeta and the subsequent confrontation between Crixus and Spartacus. Ortius is among the many rebels who show contempt for Spartacus' mercy.
The rebels are eventually betrayed by the Cilician Pirates and successful infiltration of Julius Caesar. This allows the forces of Marcus Licinius Crassus to siege the city, forcing Ortius and the other rebels to escape into the cold mountains.
Camped up in the mountains, Ortius survives both the storm and the assault on Crassus' wall. He then takes to continuing with the Rebels forward.
Ortius is slain.
When Spartacus and Crixus decide to go their separate ways, Ortius decides to leave with Crixus and continues to survive the latter's war campaign for the sake of gaining full vengeance on Rome. Ortius lives to see many victories in the process and makes it to the battle with Arrius, who is defeated as well. When Marcus Licinius Crassus arrives with his army, Ortius fights to the best of his abilities, but he is killed by the Imperator's superior numbers and collapses to the ground, dead.
Trivia[]
- Ortius is one of the few background characters, alongside Pollux, Tyronius, and Leviticus, that appears in all three seasons and the prequel.
- Ortius is sometimes confused with Batiatus's body slave, Santos.
- Ortius may originate from the nomadic pre-Tuaregs or the agricultural pre-Haratin population in Numidia or elsewhere in North Africa.
- The term "Aethiopian" was used by the Greeks and Romans as the catch-all term for all black Africans, as opposed to "Libyan" which described ligher-complexioned Berber or Amazigh populations in North Africa.
- Ortius has one line in the series, "Give it here," in episode 1.03 "Legends", after the gladiators take the list of men set to fight in the Vulcanalia from Ashur. Ortius takes the list out of another gladiator's hands.