Q. CAECILIUS METELLUS PIUS (81 BC)

"General of Sulla" Metellus, at the age of 20, accompanied his father during the Numidian War against Jugurtha. He served as one of the commanders in the Social War, where in 88 BCE he defeated and killed Quintus Pompaedius, the leader of the Marsi, in battle. By 83 BCE, he had become one of the key generals in Sulla's civil war against the populares. In 82 BCE, Metellus decisively defeated the forces of Carbo and Norbanus in Cisalpine Gaul.

In 81 BCE, Sulla appointed him pontifex maximus, a position he held until his death in 63 BCE. His successor in the role was Julius Caesar. Metellus is regarded by contemporaries as one of the finest military strategists of his time. The Pietas depicted on the obverse of the coin likely refers to his epithet Pius, earned for his devotion to caring for his father. The reverse commemorates his titles as Pontifex and Imperator.