The Carthaginians attempt to relieve Syracuse after…

The Carthaginians attempt to relieve Syracuse after Marcellus returns to the city and continues the siege, but they are driven back.

The Romans overcome formidable resistance and the ingenious devices of Archimedes to finally take the city in the summer of 212 BCE.

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.

During the attack, Archimedes was killed, an act Marcellus regretted.

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.

Though declining slowly by the years, Syracuse will maintain the status of capital of the Roman government of Sicily and seat of the praetor.