Research Catalog

Title

The sword of Rome : a biography of Marcus Claudius Marcellus / Jeremiah McCall.

Author

McCall, Jeremiah B., 1972-

Publication

Barnsley, South Yorkshire : Pen & Sword Military, 2012.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xvi, 150 pages : maps; 24 cm

Summary

"Marcellus' military exploits were largely unmatched by any other aristocrat of Roman Middle Republic. As a young soldier in the First Punic War, he won a reputation for his skill in single combat. In his first consulship, he earned a triumph for defeating a Gallic tribe, no small feat in and of itself, and also slew the Gallic chieftain Britomartus in single combat. Consequently, he earned the 'spolia opima', an honor, according to later Romans, that had only been earned twice before, once by Romulus himself. He went on to defeat the seemingly invincible Hannibal in a small battle around the central Italian city of Nola, and subsequently led an army to subdue and plunder the powerful city of Syracuse in an epic, two-year siege (despite the ingenious defensive measures of the inventor Archimedes). Yet, despite his undeniable success as a warrior and commander, Marcellus met with considerable political opposition at Rome. Marcellus' career not only makes exciting reading, but gives an excellent vantage point from which to view the military and political struggles of the period and the role of military successes in the aristocratic culture of the Roman Republic. This biography is an important addition to existing works on Roman military and political history"--Publisher's description, p. [2] of dust jacket.

Alternative Title

Biography of Marcus Claudius Marcellus

Subject

• Marcellus, Marcus Claudius, approximately 268 B.C.-208 B.C
• Rome > History > Republic, 265-30 B.C

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 147-148) and index.

Contents

The early career -- Hannibal and Campania -- Syracus -- The political battle for Syracus -- The final Italian campaigns.

ISBN

• 1848843798
• 9781848843790

LCCN

2012464432

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library