Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Q. Caecilius Metellus supporter of Sulla
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Sulla80, post: 4083456, member: 99456"][ATTACH=full]1064453[/ATTACH] This recently acquired coin, gives me a reason to return to the story of Sulla and the War with Mithridates VI of Pontus. After hastily wrapping up with Mithridates, Sulla began his return to Rome (related post <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sulla-and-mithridates.343452/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sulla-and-mithridates.343452/">here</a>). During his absence from Rome, Sulla had been exiled as an enemy of the state by Marius, however he still had allies and supporters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius joined Sulla with troops in 83 BC. He was cousin to Sulla's wife Caecilia Metella - their fathers were brothers. Political lines between the elder Metellus and Marius had been drawn by events surrounding <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Sallust/Bellum_Jugurthinum/1*.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Sallust/Bellum_Jugurthinum/1*.html" rel="nofollow">war with Numidia</a>.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p><font size="4">In three days he (Marius) crossed the sea with a favouring wind, and was at once welcomed gladly by the populace (of Rome), and after being introduced to the assembly by one of the tribunes, he first made many slanderous charges against Metellus, and then asked for the consulship, promising that he would either kill Jugurtha or take him alive.</font></p><p><font size="4">- <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Marius*.html#8.5" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Marius*.html#8.5" rel="nofollow">Plutarch, Lives, Marius 8.5</a></font></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Further, the elder Metellus was later banished from Rome by the efforts of Marius in 100 BC. The son, Q. Caecilius Metellus, earned his name "Pius" for his efforts, eventually successful, to return his father to Rome in 98 BC with help from Quintus Calidius. In 84 BC, while Sulla was fighting Mithridates, Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius was driven out of Italy by the Marians. He returned to Italy in late 84 and joined Sulla on the Appian Way.</p><p> </p><blockquote><p><font size="4">In the spring of 83 Sulla’s fleet set out for Italy, sailing in two divisions. The first of these came ashore at Tarentum (Taranto) and the second at Brundisium (Brindisi). The signs, both human and divine, seemed to foretell a swift victory. The Brundisians, who might have opposed Sulla’s landing, instead opened their gates to his troops and welcomes them, won over, like so many other Italians, by his promise to respect their newly acquired rights.</font></p><p><font size="4">- Arthus Keaverney, <i>Sulla the Last Republican</i>, 2005, p.108</font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p></blockquote><p>There is no shortage of books written on this period. The final battle of Sulla’s return or of the "Second Civil War", was the Battle at the Colline Gate, fought on the first day of the month (kalends) in November 82 BC. <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2A*.html#27.1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2A*.html#27.1" rel="nofollow">Velleius</a> gives an account, as does <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Appian/Civil_Wars/1*.html#93" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Appian/Civil_Wars/1*.html#93" rel="nofollow">Appian</a>. It must have been a gruesome scene in Rome with some 50,000 dead, severed heads on display on spears in the Forum. 8000 prisoners taken and then murdered on Sulla's orders. According to Appian, Sulla had the severed head of Marius the Younger, consul in 82 and son of his rival, displayed in the forum, mocking the dead man with a line from Aristophanes: “first learn to row, before you try to steer”.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin took a long break on a post-office shelf, forgotten after a business trip. I caught it the day before it was about the be returned to sender. The old French tag shown below, arrived with the coin. This coin has good details, and the not-overly-processed look that I prefer.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1064454[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1064553[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius</b>, 81 BC, AR Denarius, North Italian mint</p><p><b>Obv:</b> Diademed head of Pietas right, wearing earring; stork before</p><p><b>Rev:</b> IMPER in exergue, jug and lituus within laurel-wreath</p><p><b>Ref:</b> Crawford 374/2; Sydenham 751; Caecilia 44</p><p><br /></p><p>Roberta Stewart (1997) in "The Jug and Lituus on Roman Republican Coin Types: Ritual Symbols and Political Power", <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1088493" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1088493" rel="nofollow">doi:10.2307/1088493</a>, provides an overview of all RR coins with these symbols, the earliest being Sulla, Crawford 359. She makes a compelling argument for me that, when command could be questioned, "Symbols of the augury and sacrificial rituals invoked the traditional religious sanctions of political power and represented the commander’s right to command, most immediately to his army."</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Corrections, and observations are always appreciated. Post coins from the Metelli family, or of this time period from any region and anything else you find interesting or entertaining.</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Sulla80, post: 4083456, member: 99456"][ATTACH=full]1064453[/ATTACH] This recently acquired coin, gives me a reason to return to the story of Sulla and the War with Mithridates VI of Pontus. After hastily wrapping up with Mithridates, Sulla began his return to Rome (related post [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sulla-and-mithridates.343452/']here[/URL]). During his absence from Rome, Sulla had been exiled as an enemy of the state by Marius, however he still had allies and supporters. Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius joined Sulla with troops in 83 BC. He was cousin to Sulla's wife Caecilia Metella - their fathers were brothers. Political lines between the elder Metellus and Marius had been drawn by events surrounding [URL='http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Sallust/Bellum_Jugurthinum/1*.html']war with Numidia[/URL]. [INDENT][SIZE=4]In three days he (Marius) crossed the sea with a favouring wind, and was at once welcomed gladly by the populace (of Rome), and after being introduced to the assembly by one of the tribunes, he first made many slanderous charges against Metellus, and then asked for the consulship, promising that he would either kill Jugurtha or take him alive. - [URL='http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Marius*.html#8.5']Plutarch, Lives, Marius 8.5[/URL][/SIZE][/INDENT] Further, the elder Metellus was later banished from Rome by the efforts of Marius in 100 BC. The son, Q. Caecilius Metellus, earned his name "Pius" for his efforts, eventually successful, to return his father to Rome in 98 BC with help from Quintus Calidius. In 84 BC, while Sulla was fighting Mithridates, Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius was driven out of Italy by the Marians. He returned to Italy in late 84 and joined Sulla on the Appian Way. [INDENT][SIZE=4]In the spring of 83 Sulla’s fleet set out for Italy, sailing in two divisions. The first of these came ashore at Tarentum (Taranto) and the second at Brundisium (Brindisi). The signs, both human and divine, seemed to foretell a swift victory. The Brundisians, who might have opposed Sulla’s landing, instead opened their gates to his troops and welcomes them, won over, like so many other Italians, by his promise to respect their newly acquired rights. - Arthus Keaverney, [I]Sulla the Last Republican[/I], 2005, p.108 [/SIZE][/INDENT] There is no shortage of books written on this period. The final battle of Sulla’s return or of the "Second Civil War", was the Battle at the Colline Gate, fought on the first day of the month (kalends) in November 82 BC. [URL='http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2A*.html#27.1']Velleius[/URL] gives an account, as does [URL='http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Appian/Civil_Wars/1*.html#93']Appian[/URL]. It must have been a gruesome scene in Rome with some 50,000 dead, severed heads on display on spears in the Forum. 8000 prisoners taken and then murdered on Sulla's orders. According to Appian, Sulla had the severed head of Marius the Younger, consul in 82 and son of his rival, displayed in the forum, mocking the dead man with a line from Aristophanes: “first learn to row, before you try to steer”. This coin took a long break on a post-office shelf, forgotten after a business trip. I caught it the day before it was about the be returned to sender. The old French tag shown below, arrived with the coin. This coin has good details, and the not-overly-processed look that I prefer. [ATTACH=full]1064454[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1064553[/ATTACH] [B]Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius[/B], 81 BC, AR Denarius, North Italian mint [B]Obv:[/B] Diademed head of Pietas right, wearing earring; stork before [B]Rev:[/B] IMPER in exergue, jug and lituus within laurel-wreath [B]Ref:[/B] Crawford 374/2; Sydenham 751; Caecilia 44 Roberta Stewart (1997) in "The Jug and Lituus on Roman Republican Coin Types: Ritual Symbols and Political Power", [URL='https://www.jstor.org/stable/1088493']doi:10.2307/1088493[/URL], provides an overview of all RR coins with these symbols, the earliest being Sulla, Crawford 359. She makes a compelling argument for me that, when command could be questioned, "Symbols of the augury and sacrificial rituals invoked the traditional religious sanctions of political power and represented the commander’s right to command, most immediately to his army." [B]Corrections, and observations are always appreciated. Post coins from the Metelli family, or of this time period from any region and anything else you find interesting or entertaining.[/B][/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Q. Caecilius Metellus supporter of Sulla
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...