TheCaecilii Metelli were one of the most important families of the lateRoman Republic. They rose to prominence in the beginning of the third century, with theconsulship ofLucius Caecilius Metellus Denter in 284 BC. It was howeverQuintus Caecilius Metellus, consul in 143, who greatly improved the prestige of the family, notably thanks to his victory during theFourth Macedonian War, for which he received theagnomen Macedonicus. His descendants and those of his younger brotherLucius received an astonishing number of magistracies during the last century of the Republic.
The overall structure of thestemma is taken from the one drawn byMünzer in theRealencyclopädie, which has recently been reproduced by Karl-J. Hölkeskamp.[1][2]T. P. Wiseman made some important corrections in two articles on the descendants of Balearicus and the later Metelli, which have been included.[3]
Thenomen Caecilius is omitted for all the men named Metellus. All dates are BC, except stated otherwise. Numbers in brackets indicates the order of marriages. Dotted lines show adoptions.
Christopher Smith, Kaj Sandberg (editors),Omnium Annalium Monumenta: Historical Writing and Historical Evidence in Republican Rome, Leiden & Boston, Brill, 2017.
