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Marcus Valerius Laevinus was a roman magistrate who was active during both the Second Punic War and the First Macedonian War.

Elected praetor in 215BC, he was assigned to Brundisium to protect the Calabrian coast and prevent Philip V of Macedon from giving aid to Hannibal. The next year, his command extended as propraetor, he crossed over to Illyria, recaptured Oricum and relieved Apollonia, which was being besieged by Philip. For the next few years he kept the Macedonians from interfering in Italy by actively cooperating with Philip’s many enemies in the region, in particular the Aetolians.

In 210BC, Laevinus was elected consul during his absence and returned to Rome, being replaced by the proconsul Publius Sulpicius Galba. He was assigned the province of Sicily late in the same year but quickly captured the last Punic stronghold at [Acragas]] (latin Agrigentum). With Sicily subjugated, he set about reviving agriculture on the island to restore the flow of grain to Italy. In 208BC, he sailed to North Africa, attacked Clupea and defeated a Carthaginian fleet. In 207BC, he ravaged the North African coast around Utica and Carthage, and defeated another Carthaginian fleet. He was recalled to Rome in 206BC, being replaced by the praetor C. Servilius Geminus.

[edit] References

• Caven, Brian (1980). "The Punic Wars", Weidenfield and Nicolson