Marcus Claudius Marcellus (ca. 268–208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roman general could earn, the spolia opima, for killing the Gallic military leader and king Viridomarus in hand-to-hand 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 inventor, was killed. 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.
Read more about Marcus Claudius Marcellus: Early Life: Distinguished Soldier and Politician, Middle Life: The Spolia Opima, Later Life: Second Punic War, Death in Battle, Historical Significance
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“It is a sure sign that a culture has reached a dead end when it is no longer intrigued by its myths.”
—Greil Marcus (b. 1945)