The Sword of Rome: Marcus Claudius Marcellus

Marcus Claudius Marcellus built his reputation in the wars of Rome’s middle Republic. His victory over a Gallic chieftain in single combat earned him the rare spolia opima, while later campaigns brought him into conflict with Hannibal in Italy and to the prolonged siege of Syracuse, where the defenders employed devices associated with Archimedes.

Marcellus’ career also exposed the political contests behind Roman military glory. Victories abroad could win a commander honours at home without silencing his opponents in the Senate. The honours he brought back to Rome did not put him beyond the rivalries of its senatorial elite.