Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus
Encyclopedia
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus (c. 210 BC – 116 BC/115 BC) was a Praetor
(army commander) 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
and played a pivotal role in the Fourth
. Under his leadership in 148 BC when still a Praetor
the Roman troops
twice defeated Andriscus
, a self-proclaimed pretender to the Macedon
ian throne who claimed to be son of Perseus
, last king of the Antigonid dynasty
. Andriscus had risen against Rome intending to liberate Macedonia with an army recruited from Thrace
. Under Metellus' authority Macedonia
was reduced and made a Roman province
. For that he won his agnomen
and since then introduced the Clypeus Macedoniccus in his family's medals.
In 147 BC, he defeated Christolaus at the Battle of Scarpheia and in 146 BC the Arcadia
ns at Chaeronea
but Metellus was then sent to fight in the Achaean War
to avenge an insult offered to a Roman Embassy at Corinth
. He fought under the command of Consul
Lucius Mummius Achaicus
whose ultimate victory in the war against the Achaean League
delayed Macedonicus from celebrating immediately the honours of the Triumph
which his success at the battle of Scarpheia merited. On his return to Italy he received the honour of a Triumph
and the title of Macedonicus. He then built at the Campus Martius
a Portic of Cecilius (Porticus Caecilii) which later became the Portic of Octavius (Porticus Octavii). He also built two grandiose temples
one dedicated to Jupiter
and the other to Juno
. These were the first marble
temples
in Rome
, ornamented with equestrian statues of the various General
s of Alexander brought by him from Greece
.
In 143 BC, when Consul
, he campaigned against the Celtiberians
and Viriathus
in the Iberian Peninsula
. He defeated the Celtiberians
in Northern Spain and reduced them to obedience.
He was elected Censor in 131 BC, boldly pledging to halt the growing degradation of Roman custom. In a speech which he delivered at his appointment, he proposed that matrimony was to be mandatory to all citizens
, in order to put an end to the libertinage then already widespread. A century later Augustus
caused this speech to be read at the Senate
and published as an Edict
for the knowledge and regeneration of the Roman People. His moralizing efforts awakened strong popular opposition, led by the Tribune
Gaius Atinius Labeo Macerio whom he had previously expelled from the Senate. He was almost killed by the mob on the Tarpeian Rock
.
Later there were some disagreements between him and Scipio Aemilianus, but he never lost sight of the merit of this adversary, whose death he mourned, ordering his sons to transport Aemilianus' body to the crematory pyre.
Celebrated for his eloquence and his taste for the Arts
, he died in 116 BC/115 BC. He was generally respected as the paradigm of the fortunate Roman for from an illustrious birth he united all manner of civil and military honours, and left a large family of four sons, of whom one was then Consul
, two had already been and one would be soon. His two sons-in-law, Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio
and Gaius Servilius Vatia
would also attain the Consulship.
He was the father of:
in the 1961 film The Centurion
.
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...
(army commander) in 148 BC, Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 143 BC, Proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
of Hispania Citerior
Hispania Citerior
During the Roman Republic, Hispania Citerior was a region of Hispania roughly occupying the northeastern coast and the Ebro Valley of what is now Spain. Hispania Ulterior was located west of Hispania Citerior—that is, farther away from Rome.-External links:*...
in 142 BC and Censor in 131 BC. He was the oldest son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus
Quintus Caecilius Metellus (died 175 BC)
Quintus Caecilius Metellus was a son of Lucius Caecilius Metellus. He was Pontiff in 216 BC, Aedile of the Plebeians in 209 BC and 208 BC, Consul in 205 BC, Dictator in 203 BC and Ambassador at the Court of Philip V of Macedon in 185 BC.He served as a Legate in the army of Gaius Claudius Nero and...
and grandson of Lucius Caecilius Metellus
Lucius Caecilius Metellus (died 221 BC)
Lucius Caecilius Metellus was the son of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter. He was Consul in 251 BC and 247 BC, Pontifex Maximus in 243 BC and Dictator in 224 BC....
.
A brilliant general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
, he fought in the Third Macedonian War
Third Macedonian War
The Third Macedonian War was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC King Philip V of Macedon died and his talented and ambitious son, Perseus, took his throne. Perseus married Laodike, daughter of King Seleucus IV Keraunos of Asia, and increased the size of his army...
and played a pivotal role in the Fourth
Fourth Macedonian War
The Fourth Macedonian War was the final war between Rome and Macedon. It came about as a result of the pretender Andriscus's usurpation of the Macedonian throne, pretending to be the son of Perseus, the last King of Macedon, deposed by the Romans after the Third Macedonian War in 168 BC...
. Under his leadership in 148 BC when still a 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...
the Roman troops
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
twice defeated Andriscus
Andriscus
Andriscus, and often called the "pseudo-Philip", was the last King of Macedon , and ruler of Adramyttium in Aeolis ....
, a self-proclaimed pretender to the Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ian throne who claimed to be son of Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians...
, last king of the Antigonid dynasty
Antigonid dynasty
The Antigonid dynasty was a dynasty of Hellenistic kings descended from Alexander the Great's general Antigonus I Monophthalmus .-History:...
. Andriscus had risen against Rome intending to liberate Macedonia with an army recruited from Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. Under Metellus' authority Macedonia
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
was reduced and made a Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
. For that he won his agnomen
Agnomen
An agnomen , in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the cognomen was initially. However, the cognomina eventually became family names, so agnomina were needed to distinguish between similarly named persons...
and since then introduced the Clypeus Macedoniccus in his family's medals.
In 147 BC, he defeated Christolaus at the Battle of Scarpheia and in 146 BC the Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
ns at Chaeronea
Chaeronea
Chaeronea is a village and a former municipality in Boeotia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Livadeia, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,218...
but Metellus was then sent to fight in the Achaean War
Battle of Corinth (146 BC)
The Battle of Corinth was a battle fought between the Roman Republic and the Greek state of Corinth and its allies in the Achaean League in 146 BC, that resulted in the complete and total destruction of the state of Corinth which was previously so famous for its fabulous wealth...
to avenge an insult offered to a Roman Embassy at Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
. He fought under the command of Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
Lucius Mummius Achaicus
Lucius Mummius Achaicus
Lucius Mummius , was a Roman statesman and general, also known as Leucius Mommius. He later received the agnomen Achaicus after conquering Greece.-Praetor:...
whose ultimate victory in the war against the Achaean League
Achaean League
The Achaean League was a Hellenistic era confederation of Greek city states on the northern and central Peloponnese, which existed between 280 BC and 146 BC...
delayed Macedonicus from celebrating immediately the honours of the Triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
which his success at the battle of Scarpheia merited. On his return to Italy he received the honour of a Triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
and the title of Macedonicus. He then built at the Campus Martius
Campus Martius
The Campus Martius , was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome...
a Portic of Cecilius (Porticus Caecilii) which later became the Portic of Octavius (Porticus Octavii). He also built two grandiose temples
Roman temple
Ancient Roman temples are among the most visible archaeological remains of Roman culture, and are a significant source for Roman architecture. Their construction and maintenance was a major part of ancient Roman religion. The main room housed the cult image of the deity to whom the temple was...
one dedicated to Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
and the other to Juno
Juno (mythology)
Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...
. These were the first marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
temples
Roman temple
Ancient Roman temples are among the most visible archaeological remains of Roman culture, and are a significant source for Roman architecture. Their construction and maintenance was a major part of ancient Roman religion. The main room housed the cult image of the deity to whom the temple was...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, ornamented with equestrian statues of the various General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s of Alexander brought by him from Greece
Roman Greece
Roman Greece is the period of Greek history following the Roman victory over the Corinthians at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC until the reestablishment of the city of Byzantium and the naming of the city by the Emperor Constantine as the capital of the Roman Empire...
.
In 143 BC, when Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
, he campaigned against the Celtiberians
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
and Viriathus
Viriathus
Viriathus was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of Western Hispania , where the Roman province of Lusitania would be established...
in the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. He defeated the Celtiberians
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
in Northern Spain and reduced them to obedience.
He was elected Censor in 131 BC, boldly pledging to halt the growing degradation of Roman custom. In a speech which he delivered at his appointment, he proposed that matrimony was to be mandatory to all citizens
Roman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged political and legal status afforded to certain free-born individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance....
, in order to put an end to the libertinage then already widespread. A century later Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
caused this speech to be read at the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
and published as an Edict
Edict
An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...
for the knowledge and regeneration of the Roman People. His moralizing efforts awakened strong popular opposition, led by the Tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
Gaius Atinius Labeo Macerio whom he had previously expelled from the Senate. He was almost killed by the mob on the Tarpeian Rock
Tarpeian Rock
The Tarpeian Rock was a steep cliff of the southern summit of the Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Roman Forum in Ancient Rome. It was used during the Roman Republic as an execution site. Murderers, traitors, perjurors, and larcenous slaves, if convicted by the quaestores parricidii, were flung...
.
Later there were some disagreements between him and Scipio Aemilianus, but he never lost sight of the merit of this adversary, whose death he mourned, ordering his sons to transport Aemilianus' body to the crematory pyre.
Celebrated for his eloquence and his taste for the Arts
Roman art
Roman art has the visual arts made in Ancient Rome, and in the territories of the Roman Empire. Major forms of Roman art are architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaic work...
, he died in 116 BC/115 BC. He was generally respected as the paradigm of the fortunate Roman for from an illustrious birth he united all manner of civil and military honours, and left a large family of four sons, of whom one was then Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
, two had already been and one would be soon. His two sons-in-law, Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio
Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio
Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio , the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum and his wife Cornelia Africana Major, was a member of the gens Cornelia and a politician of the ancient Roman Republic. He was consul in 138 BC.He was also a member of the gens Cornelia, a family of...
and Gaius Servilius Vatia
Gaius Servilius Vatia
Gaius Servilius Vatia was a Praetor in 114 BC.He married Caecilia Metella, born c. 170 BC, daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus. By her he had:* Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus-Further reading:...
would also attain the Consulship.
He was the father of:
- Quintus Caecilius Metellus BalearicusQuintus Caecilius Metellus BalearicusQuintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus was a son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus. He was a Consul in 123 BC and a Censor in 120 BC, dominated Sardinia and conquered the Balearic Islands - for what he earned his cognomen and the honours of Triumph - establishing at Palma and Pollentia two...
- Lucius Caecilius Metellus DiadematusLucius Caecilius Metellus DiadematusLucius Caecilius Metellus Diadematus was the second son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus....
- Marcus Caecilius Metellus
- Gaius Caecilius Metellus CaprariusGaius Caecilius Metellus CaprariusGaius 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...
- Caecilia MetellaCaecilia MetellaCaecilia Metella was the name of all women in the Caecilius Metellus family, since feminine names were taken from the father's gens and cognomen declined in the female form.The name may refer to the following people:* Caecilia Metella Dalmatica...
, born c. 170 BC, wife of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica SerapioPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica SerapioPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio , the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum and his wife Cornelia Africana Major, was a member of the gens Cornelia and a politician of the ancient Roman Republic. He was consul in 138 BC.He was also a member of the gens Cornelia, a family of... - Caecilia MetellaCaecilia MetellaCaecilia Metella was the name of all women in the Caecilius Metellus family, since feminine names were taken from the father's gens and cognomen declined in the female form.The name may refer to the following people:* Caecilia Metella Dalmatica...
, born c. 170 BC, wife of Gaius Servilius VatiaGaius Servilius VatiaGaius Servilius Vatia was a Praetor in 114 BC.He married Caecilia Metella, born c. 170 BC, daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus. By her he had:* Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus-Further reading:...
In popular culture
Metellus was played by Gordon MitchellGordon Mitchell
Gordon Mitchell was an American actor and bodybuilder.-Biography:Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in his Denver neighbourhood to deal with his tough companions. During World War II he served in the U.S...
in the 1961 film The Centurion
The Centurion (1961 film)
Il conquistatore di Corinto is a 1961 historical drama film set in 146 BC in Greece. Against the back-drop of the Battle of Corinth, this movie is centered on a love story between a Roman centurion named Caius Vinicius and Hebe, the daughter of a local governor with anti-Roman sentiments.This...
.
Further reading
- Manuel Dejante Pinto de Magalhães Arnao Metello and João Carlos Metello de Nápoles, "Metellos de Portugal, Brasil e Roma", Torres Novas, 1998.