Marcellus
Theatre of Marcellus as seen today along a public road.
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (42-23 B.C.) was the nephew of the emperor Augustus.1 He was named after a consul who ruled in 222 B.C. and was known for his military success. Marcellus was assumed to be the heir to Augustus’ rule, a fact accentuated by his marriage to Augustus’s daughter Julia after his support of Augustus on the Spanish battlefield in 25 B.C. Augustus’ assistance in helping Marcellus climb the cursus honorum resulted in some resentment by Agrippa, a close friend and colleague of Augustus. Upon his death in 23 B.C., Marcellus was a curule aedile and was publicly regarded for throwing lavish games that increased his popularity within Rome.
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1 “Marcus Claudius Marcellus,” Britannica Academic, last modified August 9, 2007, http://0-academic.eb.com.luna.wellesley.edu/levels/collegiate/article/50786/history.