Metellus (died 9 AD) was a centurion in the Roman Army during the early 1st century AD.
Biography[]
Metellus was born in the Roman Empire, and he rose in the ranks of the Roman Army, becoming a centurion in Tiberius' Legio XV Apollinaris in Pannonia during the 1st century AD. In 9 AD, he was sent to the Germanic Cherusci to announce that the new Roman governor of Germania Inferior, Publius Quinctilius Varus, was lifting the Germans' exemption from tribute, and demanded a tribute of 20 cows or 50 centners of grain. After three days, Metellus returned to the tribe and, when he found them noncompliant, forced their chieftain Segimer to kiss the Romans' imperial standard, doing so after injuring the boy Ansgar for biting his arm. He also took Reik Gernot Redbeard prisoner for refusing to pay tribute, and Metellus had his subordinate Arminius (Segimer's son) behead Redbeard for spitting on the Roman standard. After the Roman standard was stolen by Thusnelda and Folkwin Wolfspeer, Arminius and Metellus were dispatched to recover it, and they interrogated and killed Luco before finding out that Folkwin was hiding out in the "Dark Land". Metellus and Arminius tracked down Folkwin and killed his companions, but, rather than execute Folkwin, Arminius ultimately turned on Metellus and killed him instead.