Caecilia Metella Dalmatica Balearica Calva Celer's Daughter

In Roman history, there are at least four Caecilia Metella cited by the ancient sources.

1 Dalmatica

Caecilia Metella Dalmatica (died around 80 BC) was daughter of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Dalmaticus, pontifex maximus in 115 BC. Dalmatica's first marriage, as a young matrona, was to Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, an aging politician at the peak of his power. The patrician Scaurus was princeps senatus (leader of the senate) and a traditional ally of her family. Dalmatica bore Scaurus two children: Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Aemilia Scaura, second wife of Pompey. Following Scaurus' death, Dalmatica married Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In 86 BC, Marius obtains his seventh consulship and outlaws his political enemies, ordering confiscation of property and several persecutions. Sulla, at the time in the East fighting king Mithridates VI of PontusMithridates VI of Pontus ( 132 BC- 63 BC), called Eupator Dionysius was the king of Pontus in Asia Minor and one of Rome's most formidable and successful enemies. Mithridates was the son of Mithridates V of Pontus, called Euergetes. Mithridates spent much, was at the top of the list. Dalmatica is forced to abandon Rome and meets Sulla in Greece. There, she gives birth to the twins Faustus and Fausta. In 81 BCCenturies: 2nd century BC 1st century BC 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 86 BC 85 BC 84 BC 83 BC 82 BC 81 BC 80 BC 79 BC 78 BC 77 BC 76 BC Births Deaths Events Sulla is appointed, following a brief civil war with the last of Marius' supporters, Sulla enters Rome and his appointed dictatorDictator was a political office of the Roman Republic. A legal innovation of the Roman Republic, the dictator ( Latin for "one who dictates (orders)") — also known as the magister populi ("master of the peoples") — was an extraordinary magistrate magistra for life. Again, Dalmatica follows her husband and becomes Rome's first lady. She died around 80 BC. Ignoring the anti-luxury laws that he drafted himself, Sulla organizes for her a spectacular state funeral.

2 Balearica

Caecilia Metella Balearica Minor (died 89 BCCenturies: 2nd century BC 1st century BC 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC Years: 94 BC 93 BC 92 BC 91 BC 90 BC 89 BC 88 BC 87 BC 86 BC 85 BC 84 BC Events Social War Roman forces under Lu) was the second daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus, consul in 123 BCCenturies: 3rd century BC 2nd century BC 1st century BC Decades: 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC Years: 128 BC 127 BC 126 BC 125 BC 124 BC 123 BC 122 BC 121 BC 120 BC 119 BC 118 BC Events Gaius Gracchus. Her oldest sister was a Vestal virgin. Balearica was married to Appius Claudius PulcherAppius Claudius Pulcher was the name of several members of the Claudii during the Roman Republic The first was active in the Second Punic War. He was governor of Sicily in 214 BC and co-commanded an expedition to the island in 213 with Marcus Claudius Mar, a politician of an old patrician, although slightly empoverished family. As a member of an important family and married into another, Balearica was one of Rome's most esteemed matronas. She had a reputation of virtue and modesty, allied to a irreproachable conduct as a mother of two boys (Appius and Gaius) and three girls (Claudia Prima, Claudia Secunda e Claudia Tertulla, this one known to history as Clodia). While pregnant of her sixth child, Balearica had a dream of Juno complaining about the neglect of her temple. As any other Roman would, she took the dream very seriously and proceeded to clean the temple herself, with the help of the censor Lucius Julius Caesar. Shortly afterwards, Balearica died in childbirth. Her youngest son was to be the notorious Publius Clodius Pulcher.

3 Calva

Caecilia Metella Calva was daughter of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Calvus, consul in 142 BC, and sister of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus. She was married to Lucius Licinius Lucullus. Instead of playing the role of a virtuous married woman, Calva engaged on a succession of scandalous affairs, mostly with slaves, that eventually lead to divorce. She was the mother of Lucius Licinius Lucullus (consul in 74 BC) and Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus (consul in 73 BC).

4 Celer's daughter

Caecilia Metella Celer was daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer by his wife, the notorious Clodia. In 53 BC, Metella Celer was married to Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinther, a conservative politician, allied to her father's family. Like her mother, Metella was not to contempt herself with a simple married life. Briefly after the wedding she started an affair with Publius Cornelius Dolabella, a man of the opposite political spectrum. Spinther divorced her in 45 BC in the midst of a huge scandal. Marcus Tullius Cicero bitterly mentions the affair in his letters, because at the time, his daughter Tullia was Dolabella's wife.

Metella went back to her family in absolute disgrace. She was still in her twenties and very beautiful. Her cousins did not hesitate in using her for political conspiracies. Metella seduced several of Julius Caesar's intimate friends, in order to get the family name cleaned after the defeat of the Optimates in the battles of Pharsalus and Munda. Amongst her non-political lovers is the poet Ticida, who wrote about Metella giving her the name of Perilla. Her last known lover was an Aesopo, a wealthy knight, who supported the Caecilii Metellii for a few years. Her date of death is unknown.

Families of Rome Ancient Roman women

<Hide>