Lucius Caecilius Metellus Delmaticus (born ) was a Roman politician and general. He was a son of
Lucius Caecilius Metellus Calvus
Lucius Caecilius Metellus Calvus (c. 200 BC or before 178 BC – after 136 BC) was a Roman statesman. He was a son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus and brother of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus. First Calvus used to be a Praetor, later a ...
and brother of
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus (c. 155 BC – 91 BC) was an ancient Roman statesman and general, he was a leader of the Optimates, the conservative faction of the Roman Senate. He was a bitter political opponent of Gaius Marius. He was consul ...
. He was
consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
in 119 BC; during his year, he opposed
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) 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 refor ...
' election procedures law. As consul and proconsul from 119–117 BC, he campaigned against the
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
ns. For his victories, he
triumphed in 117 BC, earning his
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...
and dedicating two temples – also contributing to repairs for the
Temple of Castor and Pollux
The Temple of Castor and Pollux ( it, Tempio dei Dioscuri) is an ancient temple in the Roman Forum, Rome, central Italy. It was originally built in gratitude for victory at the Battle of Lake Regillus (495 BC). Castor and Pollux (Greek Polydeuces ...
– from the spoils of war.
He was probably elected
censor in 115 BC; attribution of which Caecilius Metellus was elected censor in that year is disputed: Broughton's ''Magistrates of the Roman Republic'' (1951) believes it was
Lucius Caecilius Metellus Diadematus Lucius Caecilius Metellus Diadematus was the second son of Roman politician and general Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus.
During his consulship in 117 BC he supported the development of roads in Italy and he probably built ''Via Caecilia''. A ...
; Ernst Badian, however, believes that the engraver made a mistake and that it is more likely that Delmaticus served as censor in that year.
He was later elected
pontifex maximus, in place of
Publius Mucius Scaevola, some time before December 114 BC.
During his pontifical tenure, he was judge in a trial of three
Vestal Virgins
In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals ( la, Vestālēs, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame.
The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty ...
for unchastity, of which one was convicted. The acquittal by the pontiffs of two of the vestals was overturned the next year when they were convicted and put to death by a special tribunal convened under
Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla was a Roman politician. He served as consul in 127 BC and censor at the following lustrum in 125 BC.
His first recorded office was that of tribune of the plebs in 137 BC. As a tribune of the plebs, he ...
.
His replacement as pontifex maximus was elected in 103 BC, indicating that Delmaticus likely had died by that time.
Children
He was the father of:
* Lucius Caecilius Metellus
* Marcus Caecilius Metellus
*
Caecilia Metella, wife of
Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and later
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force.
Sulla had ...
.
See also
*
Caecilia gens
The gens Caecilia was a plebeian family at ancient 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.' ...
References
Sources
*
*
2nd-century BC births
2nd-century BC clergy
2nd-century BC Roman consuls
Delmaticus, Lucius
Optimates
Pontifices maximi of the Roman Republic
Roman censors
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death unknown
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