Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus (c. 155 BC – c. 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 in 109 BC; in that capacity he commanded the Roman forces in Africa during the Jugurthine War. In 107 BC, he was displaced from his command by Marius. On his return he was granted a triumph and the agnomen Numidicus. He later became a censor, entering into exile in opposition to Marius. Metellus Numidicus enjoyed a reputation for integrity in an era when Roman politics was increasingly corrupt.
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👉 Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Lex Appuleia agraria
The lex Appuleia agraria was a Roman agrarian law introduced by the plebeian tribune Lucius Appuleius Saturninus during his second tribunate in 100 BC. The law concerned the distribution of land to poor Romans and to Gaius Marius' veterans. According to Appian, this was to be provided from land that had been seized by the Cimbri in Transalpine Gaul. A separate but related law also established colonies Sicily, Achaea, Macedonia, and possibly Africa.
The law also required the swearing of an oath to follow it. Some senators, including Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, refused to take the oath and therefore departed into exile. Although Saturninus was an ally of Marius, his activities during the elections of 100 BC – including a murder of a hostile candidate – triggered a senatus consultum ultimum which saw him apprehended and his death to a mob in the senate house. Despite Saturninus' death, his land reforms were not overturned.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus
- 👉 Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Lex Appuleia agraria
- Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Delmaticus
- Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius
- Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Delmaticus
Lucius Caecilius Metellus Delmaticus (born c. 160 BC) was a Roman politician and general. He was a son of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Calvus and brother of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus. He was consul in 119 BC; during his year, he opposed Gaius Marius' election procedures law. As consul and proconsul from 119–117 BC, he campaigned against the Dalmatians. For his victories, he triumphed in 117 BC, earning his cognomen and dedicating two temples – also contributing to repairs for the Temple of Castor and Pollux – 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; Ernst Badian, however, believes that the engraver made a mistake and that it is more likely that Delmaticus served as censor in that year.
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius (c. 128 – 63 BC) was a general and statesman of the Roman Republic. His father Metellus Numidicus was banished from Rome through the machinations of Gaius Marius. He, because of his constant and unbending attempts to have his father officially recalled from exile, was given the agnomen (nickname) Pius.
During the civil wars between 88 and 80 BC, Pius sided with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He successfully commanded Sulla's forces in the northern theatre (northern Italy and Cisalpine Gaul). In 81 BC he became pontifex maximus, then consul the following year alongside Sulla. As proconsul Pius fought against Sertorius (a former supporter of Marius) on the Iberian peninsula; in the so-called Sertorian War. He served alongside Pompey slowly grinding down the rebels from 79 to 72/71 BC. For his victories during the Sertorian War he was granted a triumph.
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus in the context of Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius
Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius (born c. 160 BC) was a consul of the Roman Republic in 113 BC with Gnaeus Papirius Carbo. He served under Scipio Aemilianus in Numantia around 133 BC. He was praetor in 117 BC. His proconsulship in Thrace in 112–111 BC earned him a triumph. He was censor in 102 BC with his cousin, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus.