Marcus Claudius Marcellus (died c. 148 BC) was

Roman consul A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

for the years 166 BC (together with

Gaius Sulpicius Gallus Gaius Sulpicius Gallus or Galus () was a general, statesman and orator of the Roman Republic. In 169 BC, he served as ''praetor urbanus''.Livy xliii.14 Under Lucius Aemilius Paulus, his intimate friend, he commanded the 2nd legion in the campaign ...

), for 155 BC (with

Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum (c. 206 BC – c. 141 BC) was a politician of the Roman Republic. Born into the illustrious family of the Cornelii Scipiones, he was one of the most important Roman statesmen of the second cent ...

), and for 152 BC (with

Lucius Valerius Flaccus Lucius Valerius Flaccus may refer to: * Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 261 BC) * Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 195 BC) * Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 131 BC), Flamen Martialis * Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 100 BC) * Lucius Valerius Flacc ...

Family

He was apparently the son of

Marcus Claudius Marcellus (consul 196 BC) Marcus Claudius Marcellus was a consul (196 BC) and a censor in (189 BC) of the Roman Republic. He was the son of the famous general Marcus Claudius Marcellus (killed 208 BC), and possibly father of the three-time consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus ...

, censor in 189 BC and the grandson of

Marcus Claudius Marcellus Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 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 Roma ...

, the five-times consul.

Career

In 169 BC, he served as a praetor, being assigned to Hither and Farther Spain. In 155 BC, he celebrated a

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

against the

Apuani The Apuani were one of the most formidable and powerful of the Ligurian tribes who lived in ancient north-western Italy, mentioned repeatedly by Livy. From the circumstances related by him, it appears that they were the most easterly of the Ligu ...

. In 152 BC he assumed his third

Consulship A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

and replaced the previous Consul,

Quintus Fulvius Nobilior Quintus Fulvius Nobilior was a Roman consul who obtained the consulship in 153 BC. His father Marcus Fulvius Nobilior and his brother Marcus Fulvius Nobilior (consul 159 BC) were also consuls. Nobilior and his father were patrons of the writer ...

, in his command against the

Celtiberians The Celtiberians were a group of Celts and Celticized peoples inhabiting an area in the central-northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the final centuries BCE. They were explicitly mentioned as being Celts by several classic authors (e.g. Strab ...

in Spain. Having arrived with reinforcements, he negotiated the surrender of Ocilis and defeated the Nergobriges, before they and the other Celtiberian tribes of the

Arevaci The Arevaci or Aravaci (''Arevakos'', ''Arvatkos'' or ''Areukas'' in the Greek sourcesPtolemy, ''Geographia'', II, 6, 55.), were a CelticCremin, ''The Celts in Europe'' (1992), p. 57. people who settled in the central Meseta of northern Hispania a ...

, the

Belli The Belli, also designated Beli or Belaiscos were an ancient pre-Roman Celtic Celtiberian people who lived in the modern Spanish province of Zaragoza from the 3rd Century BC. Origins Roman authors for unknown reasons wrote that the Belli wer ...

, and the Titthi, sued for peace with Rome. Marcellus sent ambassadors back to the Senate in Rome, urging them to accept the peace proposals and end the long war in Spain. The Senate however, refused and began gathering a new army to be again sent to Spain the following year, appointing Lucius Licinius Lucullus, Consul-Elect for 151 BC, to replace Marcellus once his term as

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

expired. Upon learning of this, Marcellus nevertheless remained resolved to make peace in Spain and end the war before Lucullus' arrival. However, the Arevaci then attacked Nergobriga, the city of the Nergobriges, and broke the truce agreed with Marcellus. In retaliation, the Romans marched to besiege the

capital of

Numantia Numantia ( es, Numancia) is an ancient Celtiberian settlement, whose remains are located on a hill known as Cerro de la Muela in the current municipality of Garray ( Soria), Spain. Numantia is famous for its role in the Celtiberian Wars. In ...

; however, before the assault could begin, the Numantines re-opened negotiations for peace and, in a conference with Marcellus, the Numantine leader, Litenno, offered to make peace with Rome on behalf of the Arevaci, Belli and Titthi. Delighted, Marcellus accepted the offer and, the tribes having handed over the required hostages and money as guarantees that they would not break their promise, concluded the war in Spain before

Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and government service, he conquered the eastern kingd ...

and his army arrived.Appian, Roman History, Book 6 'The Wars in Spain,' s.50

City founder

He founded Corduba (

Córdoba, Spain Córdoba (; ),, Arabic: قُرطبة DIN 31635, DIN: . or Cordova () in English, is a city in Andalusia, Spain, and the capital of the Province of Córdoba (Spain), province of Córdoba. It is the third most populated Municipalities in Spain, mun ...

) in 169 BC.

References

2nd-century BC Roman consuls Claudii Marcelli Year of birth unknown 140s BC deaths Year of death uncertain 2nd-century BC diplomats {{AncientRome-politician-stub