The Siege of Syracuse was fought from 214 BC to 212 BC between the rebellious city of Syracuse, and a Roman army under Marcellus sent to put down the city's rebellion. Early during the siege, Marcellus attempted a naval attack on the city, but this failed because of the defensive systems invented by Archimedes, which supposedly included the use of large mirrors to ignite the Roman ships. After two years of fighting, Marcellus finally breached the city. Despite Marcellus' orders that Archimedes not be killed, a Roman soldier slew the mathematician. This battle appears as a scenario in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome. Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC - 210s BC - 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC Years: 219 BC 218 BC 217 BC 216 BC 215 BC - 214 BC - 213 BC 212 BC... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC - 210s BC - 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC Years: 217 BC 216 BC 215 BC 214 BC 213 BC - 212 BC - 211 BC 210 BC... Syracuse, Italy Syracuse, New York Syracuse is the name of two major cities in the world. ... Marcus Claudius Marcellus (c. ... Jump to: navigation, search Archimedes of Syracuse. ... The Rise Of Rome is the expansion to the 1997 award-winning RTS, Age of Empires. ...