Marcus Caecilius Metellus Tocaiensis (Nova Roma)

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Marcus Caecilius Metellus Tocaiensis
Album Civium

Awarded member of the public eqestrian order, M. Metellus Tocaiensis, eques equo publico, currently serves the res publica as aedilis plebis. M. Metellus is also the founding tribunus of the Pannonian legio XXI Rapax of Nova Roma, the oldest and for a long period the most active military unit within Nova Roma. He has been a Nova Roman since a.d. XV Kal. Quin. ‡ Fr. Apulo C. Laenate cos. ‡ MMDCCLVIII a.u.c.

M. Caecilius Metellus Tocaiensis in the Album Civium

BIOGRAPHY

M. Metellus tribunus of the legio XXI Rapax, wearing a centurio's helmet at the Aquincum Floralia, to command the honor guard at the altar

Tribune M. Metellus, together with his son Metellus Cyprianus, founded the "Gladius" Association for Preserving of Historic Traditions in M. Octavio L. Sulla (II) cos. ‡ MMDCCLV a.u.c., then still outside Nova Roma, with the purpose of studying ancient history, archaeological finds, cultural and gastronomic heritage of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County and in a wider context the ones of the Hungarian Great Plain and to present it to people interested in the antiquity. Reenactment was only one part of the rich cultural mission of the group. The "Gladius" Association covered the entire antiquity of Pannonia and the Barbaricum (the Hungarian Great Plain), not only Roman history. M. Metellus organized history lectures, conferences reenactment events, school programs, gastronomy shows and a summer camp for school children about ancient history. The focus was the Roman antiquity, especially the Roman legion, the Legio XXI Rapax, which perished in the area where the "Gladius" Association was founded, but gladiatorial performances and Sarmatian, German, Celtic programs and presentations were often included. The group became famous and significant in the county and in the nearby counties of Hungary. The quality of the reenactment and reconstruction was uneven, but apt for the local standards. In the year of Fr. Apulo C. Laenate cos. ‡ MMDCCLVIII a.u.c., the Metelli contacted the new governor of the Nova Roman Provincia Pannonia, Cn. Cornelius Lentulus, and invited him into the third summer camp of the "Gladius" Association to preside over the opening of the camp as governor. The event was such a success, the Cn. Lentulus remained for the entire camp and participated in all programs, meanwhile the "Gladius" Association agreed to be the local representative of Nova Roma for Provincia Pannonia, and the Legio XXI Rapax became the first fully Nova Roman legion of Nova Roma. Governor Lentulus appointed M. Metellus as tribunus for the Nova Roman legion, and Metellus appointed Lentulus as optio, and one year later, centurio within the legion.

As the result of this fruitful cooperation, the Nova Roman legio XXI Rapax and the "Gladius" Association became prominent in Eastern Hungary, and it was invited to all the most important antiquity themed reenactment events as the most active Roman reenectment group in the Great Plain region of Hungary. With time, the barbarian (non-Roman) topics became even less present in the group's repertoire, the focus was only Roman religion, Roman military and civilian programs.

During this very active period of the legio XXI Rapax, tribne M. Metellus didn't participate in the political arena of Nova Roma and in the international community, but focused exclusively on his legion. After M. Curiatio M. Iulio cos. ‡ MMDCCLXII a.u.c., Metellus retired from the position of corporate president of the "Gladius" Association, and ceded the position to tesserarius Sp. Porcius Gemma, later promoted to signifer and optio. M. Metellus then retired from active participation in the legion, but occasionally continued to attend in events. For a couple of years, the legio XXI Rapax became even more known nation-wide within Hungary as a reenactment group, and gave birth to two other Hungarian reenactment units, the cohors VI Carpathica and the legio X Gemina, originally both affiliated to Nova Roma, but after a while the legio X Gemina decided to pursue an independent path, meanwhile the cohors VI Carpathica did not only continue to be a fully Nova Roman legionary unit, but it gradually replaced the legio XXI Rapax as the most active Roman legionary unit of Nova Roma, continuing the best of its traditions. Currently, the legio XXI Rapax has mostly Roman civilian events and just a very few military programs per year, but some of its members are active in the cohors VI Carpathica.

In Sex. Lucilio C. Claudio P. Annaeo Q. Catulo tr. mil. cos. pot. ‡ MMDCCLXX a.u.c. Metellus started to participate in the international leadership and public service of Nova Roma. He served in Cn. Lentulus legatus's committee as a tribune at the establishment of the new province Thracia of Nova Roma.

As his military career was retired, M. Metellus started his cursus honorum in Nova Roma as quaestor in C. Claudio T. Domitio (II) cos. ‡ MMDCCLXXI a.u.c., the Sacred Year of Concordia, 20th Anniversary Year of Nova Roma, assisting praetor Q. Arrius Nauta.

In Q. Arrio P. Annaeo cos. ‡ MMDCCLXXII a.u.c. he had a high honor of being elected to the curule aedileship, and as aedilis curulis he organized games for the festivals of Nova Roma throughout the year.

Most recently, he was elected to the plebeian aedileship, in which office he serves Nova Roma currently.

Cursus honorum

Current offices

• aedilis plebis

Q. Arrio (III) A. Tullia cos. ‡ MMDCCLXXIV a.u.c.

Past offices

• aedilis curulis

Q. Arrio P. Annaeo cos. ‡ MMDCCLXXII a.u.c.

• quaestor

C. Claudio T. Domitio (II) cos. ‡ MMDCCLXXI a.u.c.

Military posts

• tribunus militum of the Legio XXI Rapax

from Fr. Apulo C. Laenate cos. ‡ MMDCCLVIII a.u.c. as a Nova Roman legion,

but from M. Octavio L. Sulla (II) cos. ‡ MMDCCLV a.u.c. when it was a non-citizen foreign legion outside Nova Roma