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Marcus Claudius Marcellus

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Marcus Claudius Marcellus

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Also known as Claudius Marcellus, Marcus Marcellus

general and five time consul of the Roman Republic, awareded the Spolia opima for his victories during the Gallic and Punic Wars

Person · Open Library

Born
1814
Died
1876
Works
2

Top works

  • Battle of Buena Vista
  • An oration on the duties and the requirements of an American officer

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Key facts

Born
c. 270 BC
Died
208 BC, near Venusia , Italy
Cause of death
Killed in action (impaled by a spear)
Children
Marcellus
Occupation
General politician
Allegiance
Roman Republic
Conflicts
First Punic War Roman–Gallic War of 225 BC Battle of Clastidium Second Punic War Siege of Syracuse Battle of Numistro
Awards
Spolia opima

via Wikipedia infobox

~17 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Marcus Claudius Marcellus (/mɑːrˈsɛləs/; c. 270 – 208 BC) was a Roman general and politician in the 3rd century BC who was elected consul of the Roman Republic five times (222, 215, 214, 210, and 208 BC). Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roman general could earn, the spolia opima, for killing the Gallic king Viridomarus in single combat in 222 BC at the Battle of Clastidium. Furthermore, he is noted for having conquered the fortified city of Syracuse in a protracted siege during which Archimedes, the famous mathematician, scientist, and inventor, was killed, despite Marcellus ordering the soldiers under his command not to harm him. Marcus Claudius Marcellus died in battle in 208 BC, leaving behind a legacy of military conquests and a reinvigorated Roman legend of the spolia opima.

Early life

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Marcus Claudius Marcellus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.