MARCELLUS

Marcus Claudius Marcellus (42-23 BC) was the eldest son of Gaius
Claudius Marcellus and Octavia Minor, sister of Augustus (then known as
Octavian). He was Augustus’ nephew and closest male relative and began
to enjoy an accelerated political career as a result. However, he didn’t
have too much time to study because he loved to fight too much. He
loved a challenge, and he would always get into fights, and not stop until
he killed the challenger. He got his fame from saving his brother in Sicily,
and eventually became an Agile, a high position reserved for those who
wanted to become a person of state.

Eventually, a war breaks out with the Gaul’s, and he is elected as counsel.
He is most well-known for when he was placed into battle, and when he
saw the leader of the opposing side, without even knowing who he was,
he charged him, stabbed his horse, then cut him on the floor. He then
wore his armour. This act was known as the greatest in Rome’s history, as
well as some other acts by people like Romelu’s. He was also known as
the ‘sword of Rome’.

He caused Hannibal to get a lot of losses, but never fully defeated him.

He was born the child of a prominent roman family.

He tried to ambush Hannibal’s army, but Hannibal’s men who were

waiting warned their army, and he was stabbed. When the army saw their
leader was dead, they carried of his son, fearing that they would lose both
his generals in one day, which would have been a great misfortune.

When Marcellus was killed, Hannibal went to the hill, and stood gazing
there, then without showing any emotion, he ordered the body to be
properly clad and honourably burned. The ashes were placed were placed
in a silver urn, on top of which was a gold crown, and this was sent to the
son of Marcellus.

The new theatre that was under construction at the foot of Capitoline Hill
was named the Theatre of Marcellus by Augustus in his honour. The
theatre was an impressive structure even today after centuries of use.

...

he was so fond of Greek culture; he would admire and respect those that
knew it.

Marcellus had a son, who was fair and admired by all the people, just like
his father. when he had gotten disgraceful proposals from a man named
Capitalolinus, he told his father, who held a meeting. they called in the
boy and seeing how he blushed, they gave the man a fine, knowing that
he was guilty. the money was used by Marcellus to make silver sips,
which he burnt in honour of the Gods.

when he went to invade the village that the Gaul's held, he spread his line
of calvary out, so that they would not be surrounded. his horse was
frightened by the display of men, so it ran off. Marcellus, not wanting to
make the action look superstious, got off, and prayed to the sun, which
was a custom. he vowed that if he won, he would use the finest of the
spoils to the Gods in sacrifice.

When he saw a man in the army with very fine armor, encrusted with
glittering jewels, Marcellus ran to him and threw him from his horse, then
killed him. He called out to the heavens to Jupiter to see that the armor
was his sacrifice and won that battle. When he went through the city, he
hung all the spoils on a tree, which he had cut, and carried it through the
city, with the rest of the army singing praise and songs to Jupiter. He went
to the temple and dedicated it and was the last man to do so.

When Hannibal attacked Sicily, Marcellus was sent to intercede for him.
However, Hannibal managed to cut of half of the army, and was expected
to march straight to Rome. Marcellus immediately sent a garrison of
15000 men to guard the city, and collected the fugitives, and led them out
of their fortified camp to show that he would not surrender. He was
blamed for being the sloth of the army. Fabius was called by the state as
the shield, and Marcellus as the sword. Marcellus managed to fall upon
the army of Hannibal, and by a series of attacks, he was able to weaken
them. Next, he went to the cities of Nola, and rallied them up to fight with
him. One man named Bandius, who had been gifted and risen in state
position, helped Marcellus, and rallied the people with him to fight.

Hannibal’s troops gave way first and were chased with great loss into their
camp. It is said that more than 5000 perished, while only about 500
romans fell. This battle was not counted as a great defeat; however,
Marcellus gained a lot of fame.

Hannibal sailed to Sicily, and when Marcellus took command of his army,
he received an army of men. These men went from Hannibal, and falling
to the ground, they went to his feet, and begged to become honorable
soldiers in his name, promising that they would not get a defeat again.
Marcelus was softened by them, and he wrote to the senate to ask them if
the men could join. The senate told him that they would let him take
them, but they would not be allowed to get any crowns of valor, which
were generally accepted by the soldiers from the general. This vexed
Marcellus, and he returned to Rome and told them that they would not let
anyone be relieved of their position. Marcellus returned and sent soldiers
to tell them what had really happened in Leontini. Marcellus conducted 60
boats full of men, and advanced.

Archimedes, meanwhile, had gathered some inventors, and used

geometry to make structures. He wrote to Heiro that he was so powerful,
and that if given another planet, he could move the one on which we live
upon. He took a three mastered ship, and placed a usual compliment of
men and cargo, and by gently pulling a pulley, he was able to get the ship
on land. The king wondered at this, and made him build many more, some
for the attack, and some for the defense of the city.

So, when the soldiers attacked, they were rained upon by an assortment
of darts and heavy stones, and some of the ships were seized by iron
hand-like claws and dashed upon the floor of the ocean by the counter
balancing weights. When his explosive ‘harp’, (named after the
instrument, that it looked like) was broken from falling stone, he told hi
soldiers to retreat, and told them that they would come back at night,
since the machines that Archimedes used required a long distance, and
since they would be close to the land, the falling stones would be useless.
However, it appeared that Archimedes had prepared claws that were
useful for close distances as well.

Men also stood at the walls and shot darts through the small holes called
‘scorpions. So, when Marcellus’s army attacked, they were met by rallies
of darts, which broke the ships, and made them unable to work. The
romans thought that they were getting attacked by God, and not by men,
as the destruction fell upon them from invisible hands. Marcellus’s men
became so scared that they would see a rope come over the walls, and
would run away, screaming that Archimedes was coming for them.
Marcellus retreated, trusting time to destroy the land.

***

When Archimedes was dragged off to the baths or hairdresser, he would

trace graphs in the oils. He would sometimes even forget to eat his food,
as if listening to a siren song. He was said to have begged his family, that,
when he was buried, to give a circle enclosed by a sphere, with the ratio
upon it, set upon his tombstone.

While the Syracusan’s were engaged in feasting and drinking, he prepared

ladders, and climbed up with his troops to a poorly protected tower. When
the people saw that he had entered the city, he made trumpets sound
from every side, so that there was great tumult and terror. At daybreak,
nearly all of the cities had been taken, and he was praised by his people.
It was said that when he saw the landscape before him, he burst into
tears, because he knew his soldiers would plunder it, like all soldiers were
advised to. He gave them strict orders to not touch any of the freemen,
and to never dishonor any of them. The soldiers did end up plundering the
city, except the royal treasury, which was given to the state. Marcellus
was especially grieved by the death of Archimedes and turned from his
killer in disgust. He went to his family and treated them well.

Niiodeous was persuaded by a group of men who called themselves the

Gods of the ‘Mothers’, and he found that they were going to kidnap him.
He made horrible speeches about them, without telling anyone but his
wife of their plans, and then he tore his robe, so he was half naked, and
announced in screaming and shrill tones, that he was being pursued by
them, and ran out the city, with his wife saying that he was under
demonic control and had to find him. This was how they reached Marcellus
safely.

When he made an ornament of himself to show off to Rome, instead of

making himself warlike, he instead placed himself in a picture of warlike
horses. He was surrounded by marble flute players, and crowned with
laurel, a scene made to make spectators peaceful. He told his soldiers of
this frame that he didn’t want the people to think his victories were from
violence and force, rather than peace and kindness.

Once, when Marcellus was getting slandered in his absence, the people
tried to defend him, thinking that it was unfair that he would be judged
without the chance to redeem himself. When he arrived, his people,
evoked by his enemies, began to say that he harmed them in a sad
manner, with Marcellus saying that his soldiers did nothing but what is to
be expected in war, and their city, he said, had been taken because he
refused their frequent offers of agreement. They had themselves chosen
that with the intention of going to war. Marcellus then walked out and left
his people to decide what sides they wanted to be on and defend. He was
son voted as innocent to what he was accused of, and the same men who
accused him then bowed down and begged him to forgive them, and put
away his anger, and to show pity to the city. Marcellus softened to their
pleas and became a frequent benefiter to them. Along with many other
honors, the people then decided that, whenever Marcellus or any of his
descendants landed in Sicily, they would make a festival, and wear
garlands of flowers.

When Marcellus was slandered again and again, he went to Rome and
found that, if he wanted to clear his name, he would have to undergo a
trial. The highest-standing citizens spoke highly in his praise, and the man
who accused him was found so wrong and far from the truth, that
Marcellus was not only pardoned, but elected as consul for the fifth time.

Bad omens began to occur, the gold of Jupiter’s temple gnawed by the
mice, an ox speaking with a human’s voice, and a child born with an
elephant’s head. Marcellus ignored them, as he was eager to take the
battlefield. He harassed Hannibal, who at first declined battle, but then,
after learning that a force was detached from a Roman army, he agreed
to battle, and defeated them with the Romans losing 2500 men. Hannibal
filled the woods with javelin and speared men and was sure that the
Romans would be attracted into it. Marcellus was, and he brought his
army into it. Before he left, he sent for a soothsayer, and offered sacrifice.
When the sacrifices were made, the soothsayer showed him that on all the
victims, the liver was unusual, with either too large a head, or none. The
soothsayer was alarmed by this. Hannibal’s men saw him approaching
and signaled to each other. They waited until the Romans were in the
midst of them and burst out. They struck on all sides of his weak force, so
many ran away. Marcellus was pierced through the side with a lance. Even
the few survivors left him lying there. They took his son who was
wounded, back to the camp.

Hannibal hears the names of all the men killed with indifference, but when
he heard of the death of Marcellus, he hastened to the place and stood for
a long time, admiring the majesty the corpse. He made no boastful speech
and showed no joy. He took the ring from the corpse’s finger and had the
body decently burned and attired. He put the bones in an urn with a gold
crown, but on the way, there was a fight, and the bones were scattered.
Hannibal made no move to collect the bones, saying that that the Gods
willed for him to die a strange way. Virgil writes he was to have been the greatest of
Romans, but even the gods were jealous and took Marcellus from the Roman people.

ANAYLTICAL 1 BP QUESTION-

HOW WAS MARCELLUS LIFE IMPACTFUL ON HIS EPOCH AND THE PEOPLE
WITHIN? HOW DID HIS DEATH IMPACT HIS CIVILIZATION? – you may need
to research the last bit if the book does not provide evidence.

The extensive scale of death within the socio- cultural and political
landscapes of both ancient and modern societies disrupts the values of
existentialism within each respective milieu. Within the life account of
Marcellus (1883), adapted by Rosalie Kaufman, offered is a multi-faceted
perspective of the life and achievements of Marcellus, critiquing his
ambition and political artificing led to the rise and eventual fall of Rome
due to financial and political instabilities. Within the epithet of ‘... they
called him the sword because he was bold and active...’, Kaufman
dramatically accentuates the people of Rome benamed Marcellus the
‘sword’ due to his exceptional military techniques on the battlefield,
methodology's that impacted both his power-gain, the soldiers he fought
with, and also a stance that raised Rome’s authority. Using the parallelism
to the former life of Epaminondas, Kaufman draws similarities and differences
to both of their lives, how they impacted the societies they lived in, and their
virtues and achievements. Furthermore, the visual imagery in ‘... his bones were
yellowed and dusty...’ Kaufman describes the death of Marcellus, and how it
impacted Rome, leading to instability, and uncertainty within the senate and the
army, the eventual cause of the downfall of the Roman Empire. Moreover, the
symbolism of ‘... on top of which was placed a golden crown...’ Kaufman explains
how, even after his death, Marcellus was honoured for his achievements for his
loyalty to the army, and his many contributions to Rome: the wars he had won,
and the military developments he designed. Therefore, through Kaufman's
exploration of the virtues and values instinctive within Marcelus, she explores
the multifaceted dimension of victory, positioning respective zeitgeists to create
and foundate their own meaning of the emperor's cultural prestige. Thus, the
values and narratives shaping the individuals across disparate time
periods, empowers a stronger scale of death inherent within each socio
context.