Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus (died 55 BC)
Encyclopedia
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus (c. 135 BC – late 50s BC) 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.
in the Republican period
, though they were members of the plebeian gens
Caecilia. Their greatest influence was from the second century BC onwards. The name Metellus possibly means 'mercenary'. A saying attributed to Naevius
stated that "it is fated for the Metelli to become consuls at Rome," and it seems to be true: Creticus' brother, father, grandfather, three uncles, great grandfather, and great great grandfather were all consuls.
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus
was Creticus' grandfather. He was praetor in 148 BC, and he received the command in Macedonia. There he defeated Andriscus
, a pretender to the throne, for which he received a triumph and the cognomen
'Macedonicus'. He was censor in 131 BC, and consul in 143 BC. Macedonicus, as a conservative aristocrat, opposed Tiberius Gracchus
and Gaius Gracchus
. Each of his four sons became consul.
Creticus' father was Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius
, the youngest son of Macedonicus. In 133 BC he served under Scipio Aemilianus in Numantia. Caprarius was praetor in 117 BC, consul in 113 BC, and fought as proconsul in Thrace in 112 BC. He triumphed for his victory in Thrace in 111 BC. He was censor in 102 BC.
Creticus had two brothers. One was Lucius Caecilius Metellus
. He was praetor in 71 BC and governor of Sicily in 70 BC. He died in office as consul in 68 BC. The other was Marcus Caecilius Metellus, praetor and president of the extortion court in 69 BC.
Creticus' sister, Caecilia Metella, was the wife of Gaius Verres, who was governor of Sicily from 73-71 BC.
Creticus' daughter was also named Caecilia Metella. She married Marcus Licinius Crassus, son of the famous Marcus Licinius Crassus
. Caecilia Metella's tomb still survives on the Via Appia.
, king of Pontus, by supplying him with mercenaries in the first century BC. Mithridates
was at war with the Romans at the time, and Rome was having a difficult time with him. The Cretans also contributed to and were in alliance with the pirates of the Mediterranean. Pirates were a terrible problem in the Mediterranean at that time; they added the risk of kidnapping to sailing, they pilfered grain from shipments to Rome, and they attacked ports. Marcus Antonius, father of the famous Marc Antony, sent legates to Crete concerning their involvement with Mithridates
and the pirates; the Cretans dismissed the matter, and a war began. In an attempt at a peace treaty, the Romans demanded the surrender of Lasthenes
, Crete's commander against the Romans, along with all of the Romans the Cretans held prisoner, all of their pirate ships, three hundred hostages, and four thousand talents of silver. The island of Crete refused to meet these terms.
During his consulship, Quintus Caecilius Metellus was given the proconsular command against the pirate-infested Crete; his co-consul, Quintus Hortensius Hortalus. had refused it. Metellus captured several cities and made great progress before the island appealed to Pompey the Great. They did this in 67 BC, when Pompey had control over the Mediterranean to eliminate piracy under the proposal of Gabinius. The Cretans offered to surrender to Pompey, perhaps believing he would be less harsh than Metellus. Pompey ignored Metellus' command over the island and accepted the Cretan's surrender. Pompey ordered Metellus to leave the island with his troops, but Metellus persisted. Metellus then defeated the island of Crete and made it a province of Rome.
Because of Metellus' refusal to leave Crete when Pompey ordered it, Pompey and his allies prevented his triumph until 62 BC. Upon celebrating his triumph, Metellus received the cognomen 'Creticus', the Latin word for 'Cretan'. In return for the opposition to his triumph, Metellus used his influence to prevent the ratification in the senate of Pompey's reorganization of the east until 60 BC. Metellus remained a prominent member of Pompey's opposition until his death in the late 50s BC.
in his letters to Atticus, Creticus was an ambassador sent to Gaul in the hopes of preventing the Gallic states from joining the Aedui
in 60 BC. He was sent along with Lucius Flaccus and Lentulus
.
's speech Against Verres, delivered in late 70 BC, Cicero, the attorney prosecuting on behalf of the province of Sicily, denounces Verres
, the defendant on trial, in the extortion court. Verres was the governor of Sicily from 73-71 BC, and the Sicilians charged him with being morally corrupt and flagrant with bribery
as well as having stolen 40 million sesterces worth of money and items from Sicily. They also charged him with having killed Roman citizens without trial, something forbidden by Roman law. Creticus and Quintus Hortensius Hortalus were to be the two consuls in the coming year. They were both friends with Verres, and they supported him; Hortalus was his defense lawyer. Marcus Caecilius Metellus, one of Creticus' brothers, was to be president of the extortion court in the coming year. The defense planned to put the trial off until the coming year, when Quintus Caecilius Metellus, Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, and Marcus Caecilius Metellus would be able to influence the court's decision. Quintus Caecilius Metellus sent for the Sicilians and told them that Verres would come to no harm due to the power invested in himself, his family, and other supporters of Verres in the coming year. Because of this, Cicero reviles Quintus Caecilius Metellus as corrupt to the point that he would "throw duty and dignity to the winds" without even having a real connection to Verres. Cicero goes on to suggest twice that Quintus Caecilius Metellus won his office due to Verres' bribery rather than his own merit, and tries to turn Quintus Caecilius Metellus against Verres by stating that Verres proclaimed it to be so.
In a later speech, Post Reditum in Senatu ('in the senate after his return'), Cicero, having been exiled for executing Roman citizens without a trial during the Catilinarian Conspiracy, returns to Rome. He is aided in this by the consul, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, a relative of Creticus. Cicero praises Celer for being truly noble and naturally excellent in disposition, although he claims them to be enemies. Cicero goes on to praise the Metelli as a group for being exemplary citizens.
's eighth satire, he speaks about virtue alone making one truly noble, rather than an inherited name. He uses a few cognomens to illustrate his point, including that of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus.
Roman upper class. He was praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 74 BC and pontifex from 73 BC until his death. He was consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
in 69 BC along with Quintus Hortensius Hortalus.
Family
The Caecilii Metelli were extremely prominent, conservative members of the Roman nobilityNobiles
During the Roman Republic, nobilis was a descriptive term of social rank, usually indicating that a member of the family had achieved the consulship. Those who belonged to the hereditary patrician families were noble, but plebeians whose ancestors were consuls were also considered nobiles...
in the Republican period
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
, though they were members of the plebeian gens
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
Caecilia. Their greatest influence was from the second century BC onwards. The name Metellus possibly means 'mercenary'. A saying attributed to Naevius
Gnaeus Naevius
Gnaeus Naevius was a Roman epic poet and dramatist of the Old Latin period. He had a notable literary career at Rome until his satiric comments delivered in comedy angered the Metelli family, one of whom was consul. After a sojourn in prison he recanted and was set free by the tribunes...
stated that "it is fated for the Metelli to become consuls at Rome," and it seems to be true: Creticus' brother, father, grandfather, three uncles, great grandfather, and great great grandfather were all consuls.
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus was a Praetor in 148 BC, Consul in 143 BC, Proconsul of Hispania Citerior in 142 BC and Censor in 131 BC. He was the oldest son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus and grandson of Lucius Caecilius Metellus.A brilliant general, he fought in the Third Macedonian War...
was Creticus' grandfather. He was praetor in 148 BC, and he received the command in Macedonia. There he defeated Andriscus
Andriscus
Andriscus, and often called the "pseudo-Philip", was the last King of Macedon , and ruler of Adramyttium in Aeolis ....
, a pretender to the throne, for which he received a triumph and the cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
'Macedonicus'. He was censor in 131 BC, and consul in 143 BC. Macedonicus, as a conservative aristocrat, opposed Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populares politician of the 2nd century BC and brother of Gaius Gracchus. As a plebeian tribune, his reforms of agrarian legislation caused political turmoil in the Republic. These reforms threatened the holdings of rich landowners in Italy...
and Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populari politician in the 2nd century BC and brother of the ill-fated reformer Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus...
. Each of his four sons became consul.
Creticus' father was Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius
Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius
Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius was born around 160 BC. He served under Scipio Aemilianus in Numantia around 133 BC. He was praetor in 117 BC and consul in 113 BC; his co-consul was Gnaeus Papirius Carbo. Caprarius was proconsul in Thrace from 112-111 BC. He triumphed for his victory there in...
, the youngest son of Macedonicus. In 133 BC he served under Scipio Aemilianus in Numantia. Caprarius was praetor in 117 BC, consul in 113 BC, and fought as proconsul in Thrace in 112 BC. He triumphed for his victory in Thrace in 111 BC. He was censor in 102 BC.
Creticus had two brothers. One was Lucius Caecilius Metellus
Lucius Caecilius Metellus
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 Marcus Rex.- Family :...
. He was praetor in 71 BC and governor of Sicily in 70 BC. He died in office as consul in 68 BC. The other was Marcus Caecilius Metellus, praetor and president of the extortion court in 69 BC.
Creticus' sister, Caecilia Metella, was the wife of Gaius Verres, who was governor of Sicily from 73-71 BC.
Creticus' daughter was also named Caecilia Metella. She married Marcus Licinius Crassus, son of the famous Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus was a Roman general and politician who commanded the right wing of Sulla's army at the Battle of the Colline Gate, suppressed the slave revolt led by Spartacus, provided political and financial support to Julius Caesar and entered into the political alliance known as the...
. Caecilia Metella's tomb still survives on the Via Appia.
The conflict with Crete
According to Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Crete was aiding MithridatesMithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
, king of Pontus, by supplying him with mercenaries in the first century BC. Mithridates
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
was at war with the Romans at the time, and Rome was having a difficult time with him. The Cretans also contributed to and were in alliance with the pirates of the Mediterranean. Pirates were a terrible problem in the Mediterranean at that time; they added the risk of kidnapping to sailing, they pilfered grain from shipments to Rome, and they attacked ports. Marcus Antonius, father of the famous Marc Antony, sent legates to Crete concerning their involvement with Mithridates
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
and the pirates; the Cretans dismissed the matter, and a war began. In an attempt at a peace treaty, the Romans demanded the surrender of Lasthenes
Lasthenes
Lasthenes was a general of the ancient Cretan city of Kydonia at when the Romans attacked the city in 69 BC. In this era Kydonia had protected pirates and incurred the anger of the Roman Senate...
, Crete's commander against the Romans, along with all of the Romans the Cretans held prisoner, all of their pirate ships, three hundred hostages, and four thousand talents of silver. The island of Crete refused to meet these terms.
During his consulship, Quintus Caecilius Metellus was given the proconsular command against the pirate-infested Crete; his co-consul, Quintus Hortensius Hortalus. had refused it. Metellus captured several cities and made great progress before the island appealed to Pompey the Great. They did this in 67 BC, when Pompey had control over the Mediterranean to eliminate piracy under the proposal of Gabinius. The Cretans offered to surrender to Pompey, perhaps believing he would be less harsh than Metellus. Pompey ignored Metellus' command over the island and accepted the Cretan's surrender. Pompey ordered Metellus to leave the island with his troops, but Metellus persisted. Metellus then defeated the island of Crete and made it a province of Rome.
Because of Metellus' refusal to leave Crete when Pompey ordered it, Pompey and his allies prevented his triumph until 62 BC. Upon celebrating his triumph, Metellus received the cognomen 'Creticus', the Latin word for 'Cretan'. In return for the opposition to his triumph, Metellus used his influence to prevent the ratification in the senate of Pompey's reorganization of the east until 60 BC. Metellus remained a prominent member of Pompey's opposition until his death in the late 50s BC.
Gaul
According to CiceroCicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
in his letters to Atticus, Creticus was an ambassador sent to Gaul in the hopes of preventing the Gallic states from joining the Aedui
Aedui
Aedui, Haedui or Hedui , were a Gallic people of Gallia Lugdunensis, who inhabited the country between the Arar and Liger , in today's France. Their territory thus included the greater part of the modern departments of Saône-et-Loire, Côte-d'Or and Nièvre.-Geography:The country of the Aedui is...
in 60 BC. He was sent along with Lucius Flaccus and Lentulus
Lentulus
Lentulus, the name of a Roman patrician family of the Cornelian gens, derived from lentes , which its oldest members were fond of cultivating . The word Lentulitas is coined by Cicero to express the attributes of a pronounced aristocrat. The three first of the name were L...
.
Role in Verres' trial
In CiceroCicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
's speech Against Verres, delivered in late 70 BC, Cicero, the attorney prosecuting on behalf of the province of Sicily, denounces Verres
Verres
Gaius Verres was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. It is not known what gens he belonged to, though some give him the nomen Licinius.-As governor:...
, the defendant on trial, in the extortion court. Verres was the governor of Sicily from 73-71 BC, and the Sicilians charged him with being morally corrupt and flagrant with bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
as well as having stolen 40 million sesterces worth of money and items from Sicily. They also charged him with having killed Roman citizens without trial, something forbidden by Roman law. Creticus and Quintus Hortensius Hortalus were to be the two consuls in the coming year. They were both friends with Verres, and they supported him; Hortalus was his defense lawyer. Marcus Caecilius Metellus, one of Creticus' brothers, was to be president of the extortion court in the coming year. The defense planned to put the trial off until the coming year, when Quintus Caecilius Metellus, Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, and Marcus Caecilius Metellus would be able to influence the court's decision. Quintus Caecilius Metellus sent for the Sicilians and told them that Verres would come to no harm due to the power invested in himself, his family, and other supporters of Verres in the coming year. Because of this, Cicero reviles Quintus Caecilius Metellus as corrupt to the point that he would "throw duty and dignity to the winds" without even having a real connection to Verres. Cicero goes on to suggest twice that Quintus Caecilius Metellus won his office due to Verres' bribery rather than his own merit, and tries to turn Quintus Caecilius Metellus against Verres by stating that Verres proclaimed it to be so.
In a later speech, Post Reditum in Senatu ('in the senate after his return'), Cicero, having been exiled for executing Roman citizens without a trial during the Catilinarian Conspiracy, returns to Rome. He is aided in this by the consul, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, a relative of Creticus. Cicero praises Celer for being truly noble and naturally excellent in disposition, although he claims them to be enemies. Cicero goes on to praise the Metelli as a group for being exemplary citizens.
Other references
In JuvenalJuvenal
The Satires are a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal written in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD.Juvenal is credited with sixteen known poems divided among five books; all are in the Roman genre of satire, which, at its most basic in the time of the author, comprised a...
's eighth satire, he speaks about virtue alone making one truly noble, rather than an inherited name. He uses a few cognomens to illustrate his point, including that of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus.
Sources
- Grant, Michael Cicero: Selected Works. London: Penguin Books. 1960. 45-47.
- Hornblower, Simon and Anthony Spawforth. The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 3rd Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. 1996. 269.
- Humphries, Rolfe. The Satires of Juvenal. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 1958. 102.
- Salazar, Christine F. Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopedia of the Ancient World Vol. 2. Boston: Brill Leiden. 2003. 874-879.
- Watson, John Selby. Eutropius: Abridgement of Roman History. London: Henry G. Bohn. 1853. 6.11.
- Winstedt, E.O. Cicero: Letters to Atticus. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1912. 83.
- The Conquest of Crete from Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus: The Embassies. livius.org
- Yonge, C.D. Post Reditum in Senatu. London: Henry G. Bohn. 1856.