Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Roman general who won the spolia opima and conquered Syracuse
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Marcellus held the office of consul on five separate occasions, a notable achievement in Roman political history.[1]
Quick Facts
- Born
- c. 270 BC
- Died
- 208 BC
- Place of death
- near Venusia, Italy
- Cause of death
- Killed in action (impaled by a spear)
- Occupation
- General, politician
- Office
- Consul
- Children
- Marcellus
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Marcellus was born before 268 BC, as he was over 42 when elected consul in 222 BC.[2] In 226 BC he was elected curule aedile, an office overseeing public buildings and festivals.[3] His army was recalled to Rome after the defeat at Cannae.[4] He captured Syracuse in 212 BC after a long siege.[5]
When enemy soldiers surrounded him and his brother Otacilius in Italy, Marcellus intervened to rescue his sibling.[3] While on a reconnaissance mission with 220 horsemen, Marcellus was ambushed by Numidian cavalry and killed by a spear thrust.[6]
What the cited sources add
The Rorres account states Marcellus was distressed by Archimedes' death and had him properly buried.[7] It also notes Marcellus knew his victory had been delayed by Archimedes' machines.[7] The same source reports Marcellus ordered that Archimedes be spared, but a soldier killed him anyway.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Marcus Claudius Marcellus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Marcellus By Plutarch (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Marcus Claudius Marcellus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith, William, Sir, ed. "M. Claudius M. f. M. n. Marcellus", A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Boston: Little, 1867) 927; Plutarch "The ; Plutarch "Life of Marcellus", The Parallel Lives, 30 Apr. 2008, 26 Nov. 2008. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Marcus Claudius Marcellus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Plutarch "Life of Marcellus", The Parallel Lives, 30 Apr. 2008, 26 Nov. 2008. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Marcus Claudius Marcellus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith, William, Sir, ed. "M. Claudius M. f. M. n. Marcellus", A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Boston: Little, 1867) 927; Plutarch "The ; Lendering, Jona. "Marcus Claudius Marcellus", Livius: Articles on Ancient History, 26 Nov. 2008. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Marcus Claudius Marcellus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith, William, Sir, ed. "M. Claudius M. f. M. n. Marcellus", A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Boston: Little, 1867) 927; Plutarch "The ; Rorres, "Death of Archimedes: Sources", Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Marcus Claudius Marcellus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Plutarch "Life of Marcellus", The Parallel Lives, 30 Apr. 2008, 26 Nov. 2008.; Smith, William, Sir, ed. "M. Claudius M. f. M. n. Marcellus", A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Boston: Little, 1867) 927; Plutarch "The ; Smith, William, Sir, ed. "M. Claudius M. f. M. n. Marcellus", A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Boston: Little, 1867) 927; Plutarch "The (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Rorres, "Death of Archimedes: Sources", Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. facts only, no text reused. math.nyu.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Marcus Claudius Marcellus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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