He defeated the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal at the celebrated Battle of Panormus, a turning point of the First Punic War which led to Roman domination of Sicily. In that battle, after which he received the Honours of the Triumph, he defeated thirteen enemy generals and captured one hundred and twenty elephants, some of which he exhibited to the Roman people.[1]
In this battle, so decisive for Rome, the Carthaginian advantage was subdued by luring the enemy to terrain where stakedditches had been dug. This, coupled with the element of surprise and a quick counter-attack, allowed the Roman infantry to rout the attacking Carthaginians.
While Metellus was Pontifex Maximus, a fire destroyed the Temple of Vesta and threatened to destroy the Palladium and other sacred objects. Lucius Caecilius Metellus, without hesitating, threw himself amidst the flames and reappeared with the tutelary symbol of the first Rome. However, his eyes were badly injured by the intense heat and he went blind, for which the Senate granted him the privilege of going by chariot to the Curia. In memory of that noble achievement of their ancestor, the Caecilii started to mint the image of Pallas on their consular coins.
lucius, caecilius, metellus, consul, other, people, named, lucius, caecilius, metellus, lucius, caecilius, metellus, consul, lucius, caecilius, metellus, lucius, caecilius, metellus, denter, consul, pontifex, maximus, dictator, citation, needed, defeated, cart. For other people named Lucius Caecilius Metellus see Lucius Caecilius Metellus consul 68 BC Lucius Caecilius Metellus c 290 BC 221 BC was the son of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter He was Consul in 251 BC and 247 BC Pontifex Maximus in 243 BC and Dictator in 224 BC citation needed He defeated the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal at the celebrated Battle of Panormus a turning point of the First Punic War which led to Roman domination of Sicily In that battle after which he received the Honours of the Triumph he defeated thirteen enemy generals and captured one hundred and twenty elephants some of which he exhibited to the Roman people 1 In this battle so decisive for Rome the Carthaginian advantage was subdued by luring the enemy to terrain where staked ditches had been dug This coupled with the element of surprise and a quick counter attack allowed the Roman infantry to rout the attacking Carthaginians While Metellus was Pontifex Maximus a fire destroyed the Temple of Vesta and threatened to destroy the Palladium and other sacred objects Lucius Caecilius Metellus without hesitating threw himself amidst the flames and reappeared with the tutelary symbol of the first Rome However his eyes were badly injured by the intense heat and he went blind for which the Senate granted him the privilege of going by chariot to the Curia In memory of that noble achievement of their ancestor the Caecilii started to mint the image of Pallas on their consular coins He was the father of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Quintus Caecilius Metellus and Marcus Caecilius Metellus See also EditCaecilia gensReferences Edit Polybius The Histories I 40 Political officesPreceded byGaius Aurelius Cotta Publius Servilius Geminus Consul of the Roman Republicwith Gaius Furius Pacilus 251 BC Succeeded byGaius Atilius Regulus Lucius Manlius Vulso LongusPreceded byGaius Aurelius Cotta Publius Servilius Geminus Consul of the Roman Republicwith Numerius Fabius Buteo 247 BC Succeeded byManius Otacilius Crassus Marcus Fabius Licinus Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lucius Caecilius Metellus consul 251 BC amp oldid 1096294229, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
