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.
As the most powerful family in Roman politics, the Metelli distinguished themselves by their unwavering support of the
Optimates, the conservative faction that opposed the social reforms advocated by the
Populares
Optimates (; Latin for "best ones", ) and populares (; Latin for "supporters of the people", ) are labels applied to politicians, political groups, traditions, strategies, or ideologies in the late Roman Republic. There is "heated academic dis ...
. Their defeat during the
Civil War against
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
abruptly ended their influence.
''Stemma''
The overall structure of the ''stemma'' is taken from the one drawn by
Münzer The German-language surname Münzer (also transliterated as Muenzer) may refer to:
* Friedrich Münzer (1868–1942), German classical scholar
* Hieronymus Münzer (1437/47–1508), Renaissance humanist
* Thomas Müntzer (ca. 1488 – 1525), Refor ...
in the ''
Realencyclopädie'', which has recently been reproduced by Karl-J. Hölkeskamp''.''
T. P. Wiseman
Timothy Peter Wiseman (born 3 February 1940), who usually publishes as T. P. Wiseman and is named as Peter Wiseman in other sources, is a classical scholar and professor emeritus of the University of Exeter. He has published numerous books ...
made some important corrections in two articles on the descendants of Balearicus and the later Metelli, which have been included.
[Wiseman, "Last of the Metelli" & "Celer and Nepos".]
The ''nomen'' Caecilius is omitted for all the men named Metellus. All dates are BC, except stated otherwise. Numbers in brackets indicates the order of marriages. Dotted lines show adoptions.
References
Bibliography
*
T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association, 1952–1960.
*
August Pauly
August Friedrich von Pauly (; ; 9 May 1796, in Benningen am Neckar – 2 May 1845, in Stuttgart) was a German educator and classical philologist.
From 1813 to 1818 he studied at the University of Tübingen, then furthered his education at Heidelb ...
,
Georg Wissowa,
Friedrich Münzer, ''et alii'', ''
Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft'' (abbreviated ''PW''), J. B. Metzler, Stuttgart, 1894–1980.
*
Christopher Smith, Kaj Sandberg (editors), ''Omnium Annalium Monumenta: Historical Writing and Historical Evidence in Republican Rome'', Leiden & Boston, Brill, 2017.
*
T. P. Wiseman
Timothy Peter Wiseman (born 3 February 1940), who usually publishes as T. P. Wiseman and is named as Peter Wiseman in other sources, is a classical scholar and professor emeritus of the University of Exeter. He has published numerous books ...
,
The Last of the Metelli, ''Latomus'', T. 24, Fasc. 1 (Jan. 1965), pp. 52–61.
* ——,
Celer and Nepos, ''
The Classical Quarterly'', 2, Vol. 21, No. 1 (May, 1971), pp. 180–182.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caecilii Metelli Family Tree
Ancient Roman family trees
*