Editing Marcus Claudius Marcellus (section)

== Later life: Second Punic War ==
Marcus Claudius Marcellus re-emerged onto both the political and military scene during the [[Second Punic War]], in which he took part in important battles. In 216 BC, the third year of the Second Punic War, Marcellus was elected as a [[praetor]]. A praetor served either as an elected magistrate or as the commander of an army, the latter of which duties Marcellus was selected to fulfil in Sicily.<ref name=Smith/> Unfortunately, as Marcellus and his men were preparing to ship to Sicily, his army was recalled to Rome owing to the devastating losses at [[Battle of Cannae|Cannae]], one of the worst defeats in Roman history.<ref name=Lendering>Lendering, Jona. "Marcus Claudius Marcellus", ''Livius: Articles on Ancient History'', 26 Nov. 2008.</ref> By the orders of the Senate, Marcellus was forced to dispatch 1,500 of his men to Rome to protect the city after the terrible defeat by [[Hannibal]] of [[Carthage]]. With his remaining army, along with remnants of the army from Cannae (who were considered to have been disgraced by the defeat and by surviving it), Marcellus camped near [[Suessula]], a city in the region of [[Campania]] in southern Italy. At this point, part of the Carthaginian army began to make a move for the city of [[Nola]]. Marcellus repelled the attacks and managed to keep the city from the grasp of Hannibal. Although the battle at Nola was rather unimportant in regards to the Second Punic War as a whole, the victory was “important from its moral effect, as the first check, however slight, that Hannibal had yet received.”<ref name=Smith/>

Then, in 215 BC, Marcellus was summoned to Rome by  the [[Roman Dictator|Dictator]] [[Marcus Junius Pera]], who wanted to consult with him about the future conduct of the war. After this meeting, Marcellus was made [[proconsul]].<ref name=Smith/> In the same year, when the consul [[Lucius Postumius Albinus (consul 234 BC)|Lucius Postumius Albinus]] was killed in battle, Marcellus was unanimously chosen by the Roman people to be his successor. Livy and Plutarch tell us a bad omen occurred, allegedly because the other consul was also a plebeian.  Marcellus stepped aside and [[Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus]] took his place.  Supposedly, the senate (interpreting the gods) disapproved of having two plebeian consuls.<ref name=Smith/> Marcellus was appointed proconsul, whereupon, he defended the city of Nola, once again, from the rear guard of Hannibal's army. The following year, 214 BC, Marcellus was elected consul yet again, this time with Fabius Maximus. For a third time, Marcellus defended Nola from Hannibal and even captured the small but significant town of [[Casilinum]].

===Sicily and Syracuse===
{{main|Siege of Syracuse (214–212 BC)}}
[[File:Denarius Publius Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus 3.png|thumb|right|280px|Coin of 55 BC, posthumously honoring Marcellus: the reverse shows him dedicating the spolia opima to Jupiter, while the [[triskelion]] on the obverse celebrates his victory in Sicily<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kent |first1=J.P.C. |author-link1=J.P.C. Kent |last2=Hirmer |first2=Max |author-link2=Max Hirmer |last3=Hirmer |first3=Albert |author-link3=Albert Hirmer|date=1978 |title=Roman Coins |location=London |publisher=Thames and Hudson Ltd. |page=271 |isbn=0500232733}}</ref>]]
Following his victory at Casilinum, Marcellus was sent to Sicily, upon which Hannibal had set his sights. Upon arrival, Marcellus found the island in disarray. [[Hieronymus of Syracuse|Hieronymus]], the new ruler of the Roman-ally [[Kingdom of Syracuse]], had recently come to the throne on [[Hiero II of Syracuse|his grandfather]]'s death and fallen under the influence of the Carthaginian agents Hippocrates and [[Epicydes]]. He then declared war against the Romans after the Carthaginian victory at the [[Battle of Cannae]]. However, Hieronymus was soon deposed; the new Syracusan leaders attempted a reconciliation with Rome, but could not quell their suspicions and then aligned themselves with the Carthaginians. In 214 BC, the same year that he was sent to Sicily, Marcellus attacked the city of [[Leontini]], where the two Syracusan rulers were residing. After successfully storming the city, Marcellus had 2,000 Roman deserters (who had been hiding in the city) killed, and moved to lay [[Siege of Syracuse (214–212 BC)|siege to Syracuse]] itself. At this point, several cities in the province of Sicily rose in rebellion against Roman rule. The siege lasted for two years, partly because the Roman effort was thwarted by the military machines of the famous inventor [[Archimedes]]. Meanwhile, leaving the bulk of the Roman legion in the command of [[Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul 212 BC)|Appius Claudius]] at Syracuse, Marcellus and a small army roamed Sicily, conquering opponents and taking such rebellious cities as [[Helorus]], [[Megara Hyblaea|Megara]], and [[Herbessus]].

After Marcellus returned and continued the siege, the Carthaginians attempted to relieve the city, but were driven back. Overcoming formidable resistance and the ingenious devices of Archimedes, the Romans finally took the city in the summer of 212 BC. Plutarch wrote that Marcellus, when he had previously entered the city for a diplomatic meeting with the Syracusans, had noticed a weak point in its fortifications. He made his attack at this fragile spot, using a night attack by a small group of hand-picked soldiers to storm the walls and open the gates.<ref name=Smith/> During the fighting, Archimedes was killed, an act Marcellus regretted.<ref name="death">{{cite web |first=Chris |last=Rorres|url = http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Death/Histories.html|title = Death of Archimedes: Sources|publisher = [[Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences]]|access-date = 2010-09-28}}</ref> Plutarch writes that the Romans rampaged through the city, taking much of the plunder and artwork they could find. This has significance because Syracuse was a Greek city filled with Greek culture, art and architecture. Much of this Greek art was taken to Rome, where it was one of the first major impacts of Greek influence on Roman culture.<ref name=Lendering/>

Following his victory at Syracuse, Marcellus remained in Sicily, where he defeated more Carthaginians and rebels. The important city of [[Agrigentum]] was still under Carthaginian control, though there was now little the Carthaginian leadership could do to support it, as the campaigns against the Romans in Spain and Italy now took precedence. At the end of 211 BC, Marcellus resigned from command of the Sicilian province, thereby putting the praetor of the region, [[Marcus Cornelius Cethegus]], in charge. On his return to Rome, Marcellus did not receive the triumphal honours that would be expected for such a feat, as his political enemies objected that he had not fully eradicated the threats in Sicily.<ref name=Smith/>