Decius Metellus
Encyclopedia
Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger is a fictional character created by author John Maddox Roberts
, the protagonist of Roberts's SPQR series
. A Roman Senator
during the waning days of the Roman Republic
, Decius solves mysteries, while at the same time working his way steadily up the cursus honorum
.
The SPQR series takes the form of Decius's memoirs, written during the reign of Augustus Caesar, when he has outlived all his friends and enemies, and no longer cares whom he offends or what anyone might do to him.
into the prominent Caecilii Metelli
family, a (fictional) nephew of Metellus Pius, Decius began his career serving as a military legate and scout commander, in the civil war against Quintus Sertorius
, during which he received a scar from an Iberian
spear.
He held several political and judicial offices in the turbulent days leading up to the Roman Civil War. He became an ally of Cicero
, a reluctant ally of Cato the Younger
, a close friend of Titus Annius Milo
, and a mortal enemy of Publius Clodius Pulcher
. He later married Julia, the (fictional) niece of Julius Caesar
(by a lucky accident, the political marriage desired by his family coincided with his and Julia's own wishes).
Immediately before the Civil War, he is touring southern Italy as praetor peregrinus (a sort of roving magistrate who adjudicates cases related to resident foreigners).
The volume most recently published in English, The Year of Confusion, takes place the year before Caesar's assassination, while Caesar is exercising his dictatorship in Rome. Decius is the sole surviving member of his family (or at least the only member still in the Senate), since his family connection with Caesar has separated him from the rest of his family, who were disgraced and destroyed for their support of Pompey. Decius's activities between the previous novel, Oracle of the Dead and the events of Confusion are not detailed in the novels (except for a reference at the end of the fourth, The Temple of the Muses, that he was in Egypt
with Caesar during his famous mediation between Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra).
By the time of his memoirs' writing, he is an elderly senator during the reign of Augustus, whom he despises so much that he refuses to refer to him except as "The First Citizen
," one of his more innocuous titles. Augustus leaves Decius alone, knowing him to be powerless, and even occasionally calls on him to solve a mystery (the subject matter of some of the short stories).
It is confirmed in Oracle that Julia, his wife, predeceased him. Their inability to conceive a child is a source of tension in their marriage during the novels, but, according to one of the short stories, he has at least one grandson, indicating that he and Julia had at least one child before she died.
After Decius solves the murder of Julia the Elder
's lover in 22 BC
, clearing Julia of all suspicion, Augustus offers him the position of Rex Sacrorum
. Decius declines, declaring that he views exile on an unknown island as being preferable. His exploits after that are unknown.
John Maddox Roberts
John Maddox Roberts is an author who has written many science fiction and fantasy novels, including his successful historical fiction, such as the SPQR series and Hannibal's Children....
, the protagonist of Roberts's SPQR series
SPQR series
The SPQR series is a collection of detective stories by John Maddox Roberts set in the time of the Roman Republic. SPQR is a Latin initialism for Senatus Populusque Romanus , the official name of the Republic.The stories are told in first-person form by Senator Decius...
. A Roman Senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
during the waning days of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
, Decius solves mysteries, while at the same time working his way steadily up the cursus honorum
Cursus honorum
The cursus honorum was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The cursus honorum comprised a mixture of military and political administration posts. Each office had a minimum...
.
The SPQR series takes the form of Decius's memoirs, written during the reign of Augustus Caesar, when he has outlived all his friends and enemies, and no longer cares whom he offends or what anyone might do to him.
Character history
Born in 95 BC95 BC
Year 95 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crassus and Scaevola...
into the prominent Caecilii Metelli
Caecilii Metelli
The Caecilii Metelli were one of the most important and wealthiest families in the Roman Republic. They were nobles, although of plebeian, not of patrician stock...
family, a (fictional) nephew of Metellus Pius, Decius began his career serving as a military legate and scout commander, in the civil war against Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Sertorius was a Roman statesman and general, born in Nursia, in Sabine territory. His brilliance as a military commander was shown most clearly in his battles against Rome for control of Hispania...
, during which he received a scar from an Iberian
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
spear.
He held several political and judicial offices in the turbulent days leading up to the Roman Civil War. He became an ally of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, a reluctant ally of Cato the Younger
Cato the Younger
Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis , commonly known as Cato the Younger to distinguish him from his great-grandfather , was a politician and statesman in the late Roman Republic, and a follower of the Stoic philosophy...
, a close friend of Titus Annius Milo
Titus Annius Milo
Titus Annius Milo Papianus was a Roman political agitator, the son of Gaius Papius Celsus, but adopted by his maternal grandfather, Titus Annius Luscus...
, and a mortal enemy of Publius Clodius Pulcher
Publius Clodius Pulcher
Publius Clodius Pulcher was a Roman politician known for his popularist tactics...
. He later married Julia, the (fictional) niece of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
(by a lucky accident, the political marriage desired by his family coincided with his and Julia's own wishes).
Immediately before the Civil War, he is touring southern Italy as praetor peregrinus (a sort of roving magistrate who adjudicates cases related to resident foreigners).
The volume most recently published in English, The Year of Confusion, takes place the year before Caesar's assassination, while Caesar is exercising his dictatorship in Rome. Decius is the sole surviving member of his family (or at least the only member still in the Senate), since his family connection with Caesar has separated him from the rest of his family, who were disgraced and destroyed for their support of Pompey. Decius's activities between the previous novel, Oracle of the Dead and the events of Confusion are not detailed in the novels (except for a reference at the end of the fourth, The Temple of the Muses, that he was in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
with Caesar during his famous mediation between Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra).
By the time of his memoirs' writing, he is an elderly senator during the reign of Augustus, whom he despises so much that he refuses to refer to him except as "The First Citizen
Princeps
Princeps is a Latin word meaning "first in time or order; the first, chief, the most eminent, distinguished, or noble; the first man, first person."...
," one of his more innocuous titles. Augustus leaves Decius alone, knowing him to be powerless, and even occasionally calls on him to solve a mystery (the subject matter of some of the short stories).
It is confirmed in Oracle that Julia, his wife, predeceased him. Their inability to conceive a child is a source of tension in their marriage during the novels, but, according to one of the short stories, he has at least one grandson, indicating that he and Julia had at least one child before she died.
After Decius solves the murder of Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
's lover in 22 BC
22 BC
Year 22 BC was either a common year starting on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday or a leap year starting on Sunday or Saturday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Saturday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, clearing Julia of all suspicion, Augustus offers him the position of Rex Sacrorum
Rex Sacrorum
In ancient Roman religion, the rex sacrorum was a senatorial priesthood reserved for patricians. Although in the historical era the pontifex maximus was the head of Roman state religion, Festus says that in the ranking of priests, the rex sacrorum was of highest prestige, followed by the flamines...
. Decius declines, declaring that he views exile on an unknown island as being preferable. His exploits after that are unknown.
Cursus Honorum
- 95 BC: Decius is born.
- Scout commander in the Spanish army of his uncle Metellus PiusQuintus Caecilius Metellus PiusQuintus Caecilius Metellus Pius was a pro-Sullan politician and general. He was named Pius because of his 99 BC petition to return his father from exile and was true to his cognomen for the constance and inflexibility with which he always fought for his father's rehabilitation and return to...
, against Sertorius. - SPQR I: The King's Gambit: Decius uncovers a plot to subvert LucullusLucullusLucius Licinius Lucullus , was an optimate politician of the late Roman Republic, closely connected with Sulla Felix...
's command in the East, on the eve of his campaign against Mithridates VI of PontusMithridates VI of PontusMithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
. In doing so, he befriends Titus Milo, and makes deadly enemies of Clodius, and his sister, ClodiaClodiaClodia, Clodia, Clodia, (born Claudia Pulchra Prima or Maior or also Quadrantaria c. 95 BC or c. 94 BC and often referred to in scholarship as Clodia Metelli ("Clodia the wife of Metellus"), was the third daughter of the patrician Appius Claudius Pulcher and Caecilia Metella Balearica.She is not to...
. - (Elected QuaestorQuaestorA Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
). - SPQR II: The Catiline Conspiracy: drawn into CatalinaCatalina- Geography :* Catalina, Arizona* Cătălina, Romania** Catalina, Covasna, Romania* Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur* Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental* Catalina, Newfoundland and Labrador* Santa Catalina Mountains...
's conspiracy, and works undercover to undermine the conspiracy . - SPQR III: The Sacrilege: investigates Clodius's invasion of the rites of the Bona Dea and inadvertently uncovers proof of the pactFirst TriumvirateThe First Triumvirate was the political alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Unlike the Second Triumvirate, the First Triumvirate had no official status whatsoever; its overwhelming power in the Roman Republic was strictly unofficial influence, and...
between Caesar, CrassusMarcus Licinius CrassusMarcus Licinius Crassus was a Roman general and politician who commanded the right wing of Sulla's army at the Battle of the Colline Gate, suppressed the slave revolt led by Spartacus, provided political and financial support to Julius Caesar and entered into the political alliance known as the...
, and Pompey. - SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses: accompanies his relative on a diplomatic mission to Gallic expatriates in Spain, and then to AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
to the court of King Ptolemy XII. - SPQR V: Saturnalia: returning to Rome, commissioned to investigate the murder of his kinsman, Metellus Celer, with Clodia as his primary suspect.
- SPQR VI: Nobody Loves A Centurion: when Clodius is elected tribuneTribuneTribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
, Decius is no longer safe in Rome, and so reluctantly serves as a cavalry troop commander with Caesar's Legio X GeminaLegio X GeminaLegio decima Gemina , was one of the four legions used by Julius Caesar in 58 BC, for his invasion of Gaul. There are still records of the X Gemina in Vienna in the beginning of the 5th century. The legion symbol was a bull...
at the start of the Gallic WarsGallic WarsThe Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 51 BC. The Gallic Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the...
, surviving capture by AriovistusAriovistusAriovistus was a leader of the Suebi and other allied Germanic peoples in the second quarter of the 1st century BC. He and his followers took part in a war in Gaul, assisting the Arverni and Sequani to defeat their rivals the Aedui, after which they settled in large numbers in conquered Gallic...
. - SPQR VII: The Tribune's Curse: Commissioned to track down (and later solve the murder of) the rogue tribune Gaius Ateius CapitoGaius Ateius CapitoGaius Ateius Capito may refer to:*Gaius Ateius Capito , tribune of the people in 55 BCE*Gaius Ateius Capito , senator and jurist under Augustus and Tiberius...
, after his sacrilegious cursing of Crassus on his departure for SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
(and his war on ParthiaParthiaParthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
). - SPQR VIII: The River God's Vengeance: elected aedileAedileAedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...
, where he investigates and prosecutes corrupt building practices, and supervises cleaning of the city sewers after a serious flood. - (Forced to serve a second term as aedileAedileAedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...
, while his family brokers a compromise between Pompey and the Senate to resolve the worsening gang violence in the city). - SPQR IX: The Princess and the Pirates: To beef up his military experience, he is given command of a small naval flotilla charged with rooting out piracy in the Eastern Mediterranean; based in CyprusCyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, he reluctantly accepts the young Cleopatra's aid as one of his ship's captains. - SPQR X: A Point Of Law: While campaigning for the praetorship in Rome, Decius is accused of murder of a young aspiring politician who accused him of corruption.
- SPQR XI: Under Vesuvius and SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead: elected praetor peregrinus, Decius enjoys a leisurely tour of southern Italy, solving several murders along the way.
- SPQR XIII: The Year of Confusion: an ordinary senator again, Decius is tasked by Caesar with supervising the introduction of the new calendarJulian calendarThe Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
.