Ulpius Marcellus
Encyclopedia
Ulpius Marcellus was a Roman
consular governor of Britannia
who returned there as general of the later 2nd century.
Ulpius Marcellus is recorded as governor of Roman Britain
in an inscription of 176-80, and apparently returned to Rome after a tenure without serious incident. He was sent out again by the Emperor Commodus
to suppress a serious revolt in 180, which earned him the reputation of a disciplinariian. Dio Cassius
records that tribes from the north breached Hadrian's Wall
which separated them from the empire and killed a general (possibly Marcellus' predecessor, Caerellius Priscus
) with all his guards, presumably during an inspection of Hadrian's Wall. Little else is known of the revolt except that Dio called it the most serious war of Commodus' reign and reported that it was not quelled until about 184, when commemorative coins were issued and Commodus assumed the title of Britannicus. Further coins were issued in 185 however, and a hoard
of silver
coins with final issues from 186/7 suggest that unrest and fighting continued into later years.
Marcellus undertook punitive raids north of the border and may have attempted to reoccupy the Antonine Wall
. However, he ultimately withdrew to Hadrian's Wall and probably concluded treaties with the relevant tribes. The forts north of the wall such as Newstead
were abandoned. Two inscriptions at the fort at Chesters (Roman Cilurnum
) mention him in connection with the Second Ala
of Asturians.
He was hampered by a lack of control over his troops. Marcellus was a martinet
and the troops in Britain under Commodus were highly mutinous, going so far as to later put forward a pretender to the imperial throne. He was thought to have had a son, also called Ulpius Marcellus
, serving as governor around thirty years later, although this is based on a misdated inscription and the existence of a second Marcellus is now discounted.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
consular governor of Britannia
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
who returned there as general of the later 2nd century.
Ulpius Marcellus is recorded as governor of Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
in an inscription of 176-80, and apparently returned to Rome after a tenure without serious incident. He was sent out again by the Emperor Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
to suppress a serious revolt in 180, which earned him the reputation of a disciplinariian. Dio Cassius
Dio Cassius
Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus , known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was a Roman consul and a noted historian writing in Greek...
records that tribes from the north breached Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
which separated them from the empire and killed a general (possibly Marcellus' predecessor, Caerellius Priscus
Caerellius Priscus
Caerellius Priscus was a governor of Roman Britain in the late 170s.His rule is recorded on an altar at Mainz, and he probably governed Britain between 178 and 180. He also served in Thracia, Moesia, Raetia and Germania....
) with all his guards, presumably during an inspection of Hadrian's Wall. Little else is known of the revolt except that Dio called it the most serious war of Commodus' reign and reported that it was not quelled until about 184, when commemorative coins were issued and Commodus assumed the title of Britannicus. Further coins were issued in 185 however, and a hoard
Hoard
In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by...
of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
coins with final issues from 186/7 suggest that unrest and fighting continued into later years.
Marcellus undertook punitive raids north of the border and may have attempted to reoccupy the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
. However, he ultimately withdrew to Hadrian's Wall and probably concluded treaties with the relevant tribes. The forts north of the wall such as Newstead
Newstead
Newstead is a name related to several places:*Newstead, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada*Newstead, New York, a town in the USA*Newstead, Victoria, a town in Australia*Newstead, Queensland, a suburb in the city of Brisbane...
were abandoned. Two inscriptions at the fort at Chesters (Roman Cilurnum
Cilurnum
Cilurnum or Cilurvum was a fort on Hadrian's Wall mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum. It is now identified with the fort found at Chesters near the village of Walwick, Northumberland, England...
) mention him in connection with the Second Ala
Ala (Roman military)
An Ala was the term used during the mid- Roman Republic to denote a military formation composed of conscripts from the socii, Rome's Italian military allies. A normal consular army during this period consisted of 2 legions, composed of Roman citizens only, and 2 allied alae...
of Asturians.
He was hampered by a lack of control over his troops. Marcellus was a martinet
Martinet
The martinet is a punitive device traditionally used in France and other parts of Europe. The word also has other usages . It is also a term for a type of hammer in French, a diminutive of marteau , "hammer".-Object:...
and the troops in Britain under Commodus were highly mutinous, going so far as to later put forward a pretender to the imperial throne. He was thought to have had a son, also called Ulpius Marcellus
Ulpius Marcellus (son)
Ulpius Marcellus was formerly thought to be the latest-recorded governor of Britannia, before it was divided into separate provinces. He was supposed to be the son of Ulpius Marcellus, governor of Britannia during the reign of Commodus...
, serving as governor around thirty years later, although this is based on a misdated inscription and the existence of a second Marcellus is now discounted.