| Leviticus | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| First appearance | S0E01: Past Transgressions S1E02: Sacramentum Gladiatorum S2E01: Fugitivus S3E01: Enemies of Rome | |
| Last appearance | S3E10: Victory | |
| Profession | Gladiator (House of Batiatus) Escaped Slave Rebel | |
| Race | Judean | |
| Relationships | Titus Lentulus Batiatus (Dominus, deceased) Quintus Lentulus Batiatus (Dominus, deceased) Spartacus (Leader, deceased) Oenomaus (Doctore, deceased) Ulpius (Former Doctore, deceased) Barca (Friend, deceased) Auctus (Friend, deceased) Ortius (Friend, deceased) Fulco (Friend, deceased) Gannicus (Friend, deceased) Crixus (Rival/Friend, deceased) Rabanus (Friend) Litaviccus (Friend, deceased) Hamilcar (Friend, deceased) Pollux (Friend) Euclid (Friend) | |
| Status | Active | |
| Actor/Actress | Levi Holley | |
Leviticus was a gladiator in Batiatus' Ludus and later a rebel under Spartacus' command.
Character Outline[]
Leviticus was already a gladiator for The House of Batiatus when Crixus first arrived at the ludus. Though he is never seen in the arena, his survival from before the time of Crixus' arrival, to the uprising at the house of Batiatus, and throughout the entirety of the war is indicative of his skill as a warrior. He is one of the taller individuals of the series, muscular and built.
Gods of the Arena[]
As a gladiator in Batiatus' Ludus, Leviticus trains and socializes with his brothers throughout the season. He spends much of his time sparring and joking with Barca, Auctus, and Fulco, and enjoys participating in their bullying of Ashur, Dagan, and Crixus. He is typically seen wearing the armor and holding the weapons of a Murmillo.
Arm wrestling with Ortius.
Leviticus would also 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.
When Titus Lentulus Batiatus visits the sands of the ludus, he warmly greets Leviticus. His familiarity with Titus and his friendship with prestigious gladiators like Barca and Auctus suggest that Leviticus not only has he been a gladiator at the ludus for a lengthy amount of time, he is also one of the most skilled.
In the baths before the Vinalia, Leviticus and Ortius hear Auctus' outrage over being set to fight the recruit Crixus, and shove the latter forward to be confronted by Auctus. When setting off for the arena, Leviticus is seen embracing and wishing luck to Barca and Auctus.
Leviticus grudgingly applauds Ashur.
When Ashur and Dagan return from the arena after defeating Hasdrubal and Kleitos, Leviticus reluctantly applauds a boasting Ashur. During the orgy that is thrown by Lucretia and Gaia, Leviticus is among the gladiators who are forced to participate, clearly uncomfortable with what is being demanded of him.
He would be present when Batiatus makes his speech to all avaiable gladiators in the ludus during his father's funeral, and participates in the fights to honor their deceased dominus.
When Gannicus is granted his freedom, Leviticus is among the gladiators bidding him farewell before returning to training.
Blood and Sand[]
Leviticus remain
Leviticus as a Gladiator.
Escaping the ludus.
s a gladiator during the arrival of Spartacus and Varro at the ludus. He spends most of his time with the other Gladiators, training and socializing as well as having relations with women.
When Spartacus slays Sextus and begins the revolt at the ludus, Leviticus chooses to take up arms and fight, slaying many Romans inside the house and eventually escaping with Spartacus.
Vengeance[]
Leviticus remains a significant presence among the growing group of rebels as the rebellion progresses. He accompanies Spartacus on most of the missions throughout the season.
When Agron breaks apart from Spartacus and Crixus and announces his intention to move separately toward Vesuvius, Leviticus is among those rebels who choose to follow him there.
He would take part in the mission to rescue Crixus, Oenomaus, and Rhaskos from the arena in Capua. Led by Mira, he would set fire to the arena, causing it to collapse and kill many Romans.
While encamped at the Vesuvius Temple, Leviticus spends much of his time training new recruits in the art of combat.
When the Romans attacked the rebels sanctuary, Leviticus fights valiantly in its defense and helps the rebels escape into the mountain of Vesuvius where he would witness the death of Ashur at the hands of Naevia. While on the mountain, he helps mak
Leviticus celebrating the fall of Glaber.
e rope out of vines with the other rebels to allow Spartacus, Crixus, Agron and Gannicus to scale down the mountain and flank the Romans.
Following the counter-attack on Glaber's forces that is led by Oenomaus, Leviticus fights with great skills against the Romans and is one of the first rebels over the wall during their recapture of the temple.
War of the Damned[]
Leviticus is seldom seen throughout the season, most likely indicating that he is on away missions for Spartacus' army such as freeing slaves and bringing them to the rebel cause. However, he is seen in the beginning of the season as part of the main forces against the legions of Cossinius and Furius. He is also seen invading the city of Sinuessa and taking it for rebels before later evacualting it when the legions of Crassus pour in. He would then be seen escourting other rebels through Melia Ridge and the forests while fighting off Roman soliders. He would lastly be seen when the rebels take a villa for a celebration of Crixus and his departure as well as back with the main army fighting the final battle alongside Spartacus and his comrades in arms.
In the end, he manages to escape the battlefield and join other survivors in escaping over the Alps, finally embracing true freedom.
Trivia[]
- Leviticus is played by New Zealand stuntman Levi Holley.
- Leviticus is a Greek rendering of the name Levi, meaning "belonging to the Levites". The Levites were members of the Hebrew tribe of Levi.
- Leviticus is one of the few characters to appear in all three seasons and the prequel, along with Crixus, Naevia, Ortius, Pollux, and Tyronius.
- Leviticus, the Veteran, Tyronius, Lydon, Pollux, and Agron are the only gladiators from the House of Batiatus known to survive the Third Servile War in its entirety.
- Actor Levi Holley confirmed that Leviticus survived the events of the final battle and escaped over the Alps.
- As indicated by his name, it is likely that he came from Judea and was a member of the tribe of Levi.
- Given his presence at the ludus at the beginning of Gods of the Arena, he may have been captured during the Judean Civil War (93-76 BCE) by the Maccabean forces of Alexander Jannaeus, and sold to the Romans as a slave. The approximate date of Gods of the Arena (78 BCE) means that Leviticus would not have been present for the end of the civil war in his homeland.
- If Leviticus is a member of the tribe of the Levites, he may have been a son of the Kohannim, the hereditary priestly caste of Hasmonean-era Judean society. If so, his life as a gladiator and the situations relating to his profession would have disqualified him from performing any clerical duties in his native society, and so may have been an outcast before his enslavement by the Romans.
- Judea would become a client-state of the Republic of Rome in 63 BCE, after it was conquered by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Leviticus' enslavement would have occurred prior to this.