Editing Marcus Claudius Marcellus (section)

== Middle life: the spolia opima ==
Led by the [[Insubria|Insubrians]], the [[Gauls]] of northern Italy declared war on Rome in 225 BC. Marcellus participated, initially as a soldier, in the ensuing conflict, which saw the Insubrians pushed all the way back to the [[Po River]]. They attempted to surrender, but Marcellus persuaded the two acting consuls not to accept the terms of peace. In the fourth and final year of the war, Marcellus himself was elected consul, with [[Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus]] as his colleague. As the new consuls were ushered into office, the Insubrians mustered 30,000 of their Gallic allies, the Gaesatae, to fight the Romans.<ref name="Polyb. 2.34">Polyb. 2.34.</ref>  Marcellus invaded Insubrian lands up to the Po River, just as the previous consuls had done. From here, the Gauls sent 10,000 men across the Po and attacked [[Clastidium]], a Roman stronghold, to divert the Roman attacks.<ref name="Polyb. 2.34"/>  This battlefield was the stage for Marcellus’ confrontation with the Gallic king, Viridomarus, which cemented his place in history.

The confrontation, as told by Plutarch, is so heavy in detail that one might question the veracity of his narration. Plutarch recounts that, prior to the battle, Viridomarus spotted Marcellus, who wore commander's insignia, and rode out to meet him. Marcellus did not recognize the king, but nonetheless wanted to fight: he had prayed to the gods to give him the finest armor possessed by the enemy, and the armor worn by Viridomarus seemed to fit this description. The two engaged in single combat, which concluded when Marcellus, “by a thrust of his spear which pierced his adversary's breastplate, and by the impact of his horse in full career, threw him, still living, upon the ground, where, with a second and third blow, he promptly killed him.”<ref name=Plutarch/> Marcellus carried away the armor of his fallen foe, calling it the ''spolia opima'', or ''richest spoils'', and [[Temple of Jupiter Feretrius|dedicated it]] to Jupiter [[Feretrius]], as he had promised before the battle. In Roman tradition, ''spolia opima'' was considered the most prestigious and honorable prize that a general could earn. To deserve the title, the spoils must be taken from the leader of the opposing army, whom the general had killed in single combat.

Herein lies a wrinkle in Plutarch's retelling of the event. Marcellus allegedly did not recognize his opponent, but his prayer to Jupiter Feretrius, employing the term ''spolia opima'', implies an intention to kill a king or ruler.<ref name=Flower>Flower, Harriet I. "The Tradition of the Spolia Opima: M. Claudius Marcellus and Augustus", ''Classical Antiquity'', Apr. 2000: 37.</ref> This inconsistency indicates that Plutarch's story may have been exaggerated for dramatic effect, causing discrepancies. Furthermore, Plutarch had probably written the account to glorify Marcellus as a hero of Rome, instead of as a record of history.  The considerably earlier account of [[Polybius]] (Polyb. 2.34) does not at all mention the ''spolia opima'' in relation to Marcellus.

Following the death of Viridomarus, the outnumbered Romans broke the siege of Clastidium, won the battle and proceeded to push the Gallic army all the way back to their primary headquarters at [[Mediolanum]]. Here, following another defeat, the Gauls surrendered to the Romans.<ref name="Polyb. 2.34"/> This time the terms of peace were acceptable to the Romans, and the Gallic war ended. Polybius, a client to the Scipiones, states that much of the overall success in the Gallic War belongs to Marcellus’ colleague, Scipio, but we know from other sources that, having won the ''spolia opima'', Marcellus was awarded a triumph.  Following the Gallic wars, Marcellus seems to drop below the historical radar until the year 216 BC, ushering in the latter part of his life.