Metellus

Metellus, the name of a Roman family of the plebeian gens Cæcilia, which rose to be one of the first families of the Roman nobility.—One of the most distinguished members of the family was Quintus Cæcilus Metellus Macedonicus, who received his surname from his victory over Andricus, an aspirant to the throne of Macedonia (148 B.C.). His life was considered by ancient writers an example of the greatest felicity: before his death in 115 three of his sons had been consuls, one censor, and one was a candidate for the consulship. Another was Quintus Cæcilus Metellus Numidicus, who twice defeated Jugurtha in Numidia (109 B.C.), and was celebrated for his integrity of character, but was superseded in his command by Marius. His son, Quintus Cæcilus Metellus, surnamed Pius, joined Sulla in 83 B.C., but sought to moderate the severity of his proscriptions. Quintus Cæcilus Metellus Creticus conquered Crete, and reduced it to a Roman province (67 B.C.). Quintus Cæcilus Metellus Pius Scipio, sometimes called Quintus Scipio, and some- times Scipio Metellus, was a son of Scipio Nasica, who was adopted by one of the Metelli, and became the father-in-law of Pompey, and his zealous partisan. He commanded the centre at Pharsalia, maintained war on his behalf for some time in Africa, and, after the battle of Thapsus (46 B.C.), died by his own hand.