Caecilia Metella Dalmatica

Last updated

Caecilia Metella (died around 80 BC) was the daughter of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Dalmaticus, Pontifex Maximus in 115 BC.

Lucius Caecilius Metellus Dalmaticus was a son of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Calvus. He was a Consul in 119 BC, and then Pontifex Maximus. He had eliminated from the Senate 32 of its members and fought Saturninus, thus contributing to the return to Rome, in 99 BC, of his brother Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus. As Consul he defeated the Dalmatians, having for that deserved his cognomen and the Honours of the Triumph.

Contents

Caecilia Metella's first marriage was to Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, an aging politician at the peak of his power. Scaurus was a patrician, the princeps senatus (president of the Senate) and a traditional ally of her family. Caecilia bore Scaurus two children: Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Aemilia Scaura, whom Sulla, her second husband, married to Pompey to forge an alliance with him. Aemilia became the second wife of Pompey. Caecilia Metella had two twins, Faustus and Fausta, and another unnamed son with Sulla.

Marcus Aemilius Scaurus was a Roman statesman who served as consul in 115 BC. He was also a long-standing princeps senatus, occupying the post from 115 until his death in 89, and as such was widely considered one of the most prestigious and influential politicians of the Late Republic.

The patricians were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after the Conflict of the Orders, and by the time of the late Republic and Empire, membership in the patriciate was of only nominal significance.

<i>Princeps senatus</i>

The princeps senatus was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the cursus honorum and owning no imperium, this office brought conferred prestige on the senator holding it.

Following Scaurus' death, Caecilia married Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who was fifty. In his account of the life of Sulla, Plutarch wrote that this was a prestigious marriage for Sulla due to Caecilia being the daughter of the Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of Roman state religion. The marriage was ridiculed by the people and many leading men were dissatisfied because they thought that it was unworthy of Caecilia. Caecilia was Sulla's fourth wife and he married her only a few days after divorcing Cloelia for 'barrenness'. Because of this and despite the fact that Sulla praised Cloelia and gave her gifts, many thought that he had accused her unfairly. However, he always showed Caecilia great deference. Because of this, when Sulla refused the request of the people to restore the exiled supporters of Marius (whom Sulla had fought in Sulla's First Civil War, 88–87 BC) they asked Caecilia for help. Plutarch wrote that it "was thought also that when [Sulla] took the city of Athens, he treated its people more harshly because they had scurrilously abused Metella from the walls." [1] In another passage, Plutarch specified that the scurrilous abuse against Sulla and Caecilia was from Aristion, the tyrant of Athens. [2]

Plutarch Ancient Greek historian and philosopher

Plutarch, later named, upon becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus, was a Greek biographer and essayist, known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia. He is classified as a Middle Platonist. Plutarch's surviving works were written in Greek, but intended for both Greek and Roman readers.

Gaius Marius Ancient Roman general and statesman

Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important reforms of Roman armies. He was at the centre of a paradigmatic shift from the militia levies of the middle Republic to the professional soldiery of the late Republic; he also developed the pilum, a javelin designed to bend on impact, and large-scale changes to the logistical structure of the Roman army.

Sullas first civil war

Sulla's first civil war was one of a series of civil wars in ancient Rome, between Gaius Marius and Sulla, between 88 and 87 BC. This was also the first in a succession of several internal conflicts, which eventually led to the dissolution of the Roman Republic and establishment of Julius Caesar as dictator.

While Sulla was in Greece the Marians (the supporters of Gaius Marius) seized Rome and perpetrated violence against the supporters of Sulla. Metella fled with her children with difficulty, informed Sulla that his villas had been burned and offered to help the Sullans (the supporters of Sulla) at home. [3] After Sulla celebrated his triumph for his victory in Greece, Metella bore him twin children, "[Sulla] named the male child Faustus, and the female Fausta; for the Romans call what is auspicious and joyful, "faustum." " [4] While Sulla was devoting a lavish feast in honour of the god Hercules, Caecilia was sick and dying. The priests forbade Sulla 'to go near her or to have his house polluted by her funeral.' Sulla divorced her and had her taken to another house while she was still alive. In this way he respected the law. Sulla transgressed his laws limiting the expenses of funerals and of banquets, organised a sumptuous funeral and drowned his sorrows in drinking parties and extravagant banquets. [5] Plutarch mentioned that another, unnamed son who died shortly before the death of his mother Metella appeared to him in a dream. Plutarch clarified this by saying that when Sulla died he left two young children by Metella. [6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Plutarch, Parallel Lives, The Life of Sulla, 6.10-12
  2. ↑ Plutarch, Parallel Lives, The Life of Sulla, 13.1
  3. ↑ Plutarch, Parallel Lives, The Life of Sulla, 21.1
  4. ↑ Plutarch, Parallel Lives, The Life of Sulla, 34.3
  5. ↑ Plutarch, Parallel Lives, The Life of Sulla, 35.1-3
  6. ↑ Plutarch, Parallel Lives, The Life of Sulla, 37.2, 4

Related Research Articles

Aemilia Scaura was the daughter of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, a patrician, and his second wife Caecilia Metella Dalmatica.

Mucia Tertia was a Roman matrona who lived in the 1st century BC. She was the daughter of Quintus Mucius Scaevola, the pontifex maximus, consul in 95 BC. Her mother was a Licinia that divorced her father to marry Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos, in a scandal mentioned by several sources. Her name, Mucia Tertia, would suggest that she was a third daughter, according to the Roman naming convention for women, though it is believed that this was instead to differentiate her from her two aunts. Mucia had also two younger half-brothers from her mother's second marriage, Q. Metellus Celer, consul in 60 BC, and of Q. Metellus Nepos, consul in 57 BC.

Aemilia Lepida is the name of several ancient Roman women belonging to the gens Aemilia. The name was given to daughters of men belonging to the Lepidus branch of the Aemilius family. The first Aemilia Lepida to be mentioned by Roman historians was the former fiancée of the younger Cato. Subsequent Aemiliae are known because of their marriages.

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Ancient Roman consul

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius was an optimate and later pro-Sullan politician and general. He was elected consul alongside Sulla in 80 BC. As proconsul he was the principal Senatorial commander during the Sertorian War, fighting alongside Pompeius Magnus against the Roman rebel Quintus Sertorius. He was given the agnomen (nickname) “Pius” because of his constant and unbending attempts to have his father officially recalled from exile.

Faustus Cornelius Sulla was a Roman senator. Faustus was the only surviving son of the Dictator of Rome Lucius Cornelius Sulla and his fourth wife Caecilia Metella, and thus a member of one of the most ancient patrician families, the Cornelii. After his father's death in 78 BC, he and his twin sister Fausta were brought up by his guardian, his father's friend Lucullus.

Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus, younger brother of the more famous Lucius Licinius Lucullus, was a supporter of Lucius Cornelius Sulla and consul of ancient Rome in 73 BC. As proconsul of Macedonia in 72 BC, he defeated the Bessi in Thrace and advanced to the Danube and the west coast of the Black Sea. In addition, he was marginally involved in the Third Servile War.

Licinia is the name used by ancient Roman women of the gens Licinia, including

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer was a consul in 60 BC and son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos, or, according to some, the son of Tribune Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer while the latter is the son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos. Previously he held the offices of Praetor and Augur in 63 BC.

Lucius Caecilius Metellus was a Roman aristocrat. He was praetor in 71 BC. He succeeded Gaius Verres as governor of Sicily in 70 BC. He died in office as consul in 68 BC. His co-consul was Quintus Marcius Rex.

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus was a politically active member of the Roman upper class. He was praetor in 74 BC and pontifex from 73 BC until his death. He was consul in 69 BC along with Quintus Hortensius Hortalus.

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica ancient Roman consul and optimate

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Cornelianus Scipio Nasica, in modern scholarship often referred to as Metellus Scipio, was a Roman consul and military commander in the Late Republic. During the civil war between Julius Caesar and the senatorial faction led by Pompeius Magnus, he remained a staunch optimate. He led troops against Caesar's forces, mainly in the battles of Pharsalus and Thapsus, where he was defeated. He later committed suicide. Ronald Syme called him "the last Scipio of any consequence in Roman history."

Pompeia Magna was the only daughter and second child born to Roman triumvir Pompey the Great from his third marriage, to Mucia Tertia. Her elder brother was Gnaeus Pompeius and her younger brother was Sextus Pompey.

Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica was a politician of the Roman Republic. He belonged to the great patrician family of the Cornelii Scipiones, and was the son of the pontifex maximus Nasica Serapio, who famously murdered Tiberius Gracchus in 133 BC. Nasica was on track to a prestigious career like most of his ancestors, being praetor in 118 BC, but he died during his consulship in 111 BC.

Caecilia Metella was a Roman matron of the first century BC, who belonged to the powerful family of the Caecilii Metelli. She was notably the mother of Clodius Pulcher.

References

International Standard Book Number Unique numeric book identifier

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.

See also

Caecilia (gens) families from Ancient Rome who shared the Caecilius nomen

The gens Caecilia was a plebeian family at Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned in history as early as the fifth century BC, but the first of the Caecilii who obtained the consulship was Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter, in 284 BC.

Caecilius Metellus

The Caecilii Metelli, one of the most important and wealthy families in the Roman Republic, came of noble stock. The Caecilii Metelli, part of the gens Caecilia, remained a political power within the state from the 3rd century BC to the end of the Republic in the 1st century BC, holding every office in the cursus honorum as well as several important military commands.

The Caecilii Metelli were one of the most important families of the late Roman Republic. They rose to prominence in the beginning of the third century, with the consulship of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter in 284 BC. It was however Quintus Caecilius Metellus—consul in 143—who greatly improved the prestige of the family, notably thanks to his victory during the Fourth Macedonian War, for which he received the agnomen Macedonicus. His descendants and those of his younger brother Lucius received an astonishing number of magistracies during the last century of the Republic.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.