This article is about the Punic War general. For the nephew of Augustus, see Marcus Claudius Marcellus (Julio-Claudian dynasty).

Marcus Claudius Marcellus (c. 268-208 BC) was a Roman general, one of the commanders of the Roman Army during the Second Punic War and the conqueror of Syracuse.

In his first consulship (222) he was engaged, with Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus (uncle of Scipio Africanus) as colleague, in war against the Insubrian Gauls, and won the spolia opima, the greatest of all possible honors for a Roman, for the third and last time in Roman history by slaying their chief Viridomarus or Virdumarus in an one-on-one melee (Polybius ii. 34; Propertius v. 10, 39).

During the Punic Wars he first served against Hamilcar in Sicily. In 216, after the defeat at Cannae, he took command of the remnant of the army at Cariusium, and although he was unable to prevent Capua going over to Hannibal, he saved Nola and southern Campania.

In 214 he was in Sicily as consul at the time of the revolt of Syracuse; he stormed Leontini and besieged Syracuse, but the skill of Archimedes repelled his attacks by sea. After a two years' siege he gradually forced his way into the city and took it in the face of strong Punic reinforcements. According to Plutarch, Marcellus took advantage of a poorly guarded fortification which he had seen during diplomatic negotiations, and conquered the city. Although (again, in Plutarch's mouthNote that Plutarch lived in the 1st-2nd century, when the respect for the Greek culture and technology was already present in the Roman culture. In Polybius, who wrote his account of Marcellus siege in the 2nd century BC, there is no reference to Marcellus respect for Syracusan citizens or properties.) he wished to spare the lives of the Syracusans, he could not prevent the sack of the city by his soldiers: a cataclysmic by-product of which was the killing of Archimedes. Otherwise, Marcellus is said to have spared the lives of the inhabitants, but carried off their art treasures to Rome, the first instance of a practice afterwards common.

Consul again in 210, he took Salapia in Apulia, which had revolted to Hannibal, by help of the Roman party there, and put to death the Numidian garrison proconsul in 209, he attacked Hannibal near Venusia, and after a desperate battle retired to that town; he was accused of bad generalship, and had to leave the army to defend himself in Rome.

In his last consulship (208), he and his colleague, while reconnoitring near Venusia, were unexpectedly attacked, and Marcellus was killed. His successes have been exaggerated by Livy, but the name often given to him, the "sword of Rome" was well deserved.

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