Rome's "First Lady."

Caecilia Metella Dalmatica

We the Athenians, two thousand years after,
apologize to Metella for our insults and  laughter...


One hundred and forty 
          six years before Christ..
The Greek army 
                     was not sufficed.

They were defeated 
           by the Roman legions.
All lands, all areas 
                       and all regions.
came under Roman control and occupation ..



After seventy years, an Asian nation,
the kingdom of Mithridates became powerful.
The Athenians rebelled (their success was doubtful).
They became allies with the King of the Asians.

The Romans said, with the Athenians we have lost patience,
and according to Roman authoritarian persuasions,
they sent General Sulla who led five legions,
to conquer the Greeks, those demons....

Sulla's wife Metella* joined him 
                              in Greece in 87 BC               *Caecilia Metella
Romans, cut off the supply of the city from the sea,

and began a siege that would last 
     until the inhabitants would surrender...

Sulla was talking with conceit 
           about Rome's glory and splendor,

when a voice was heard coming over the walls,
followed by lots of laughter....... The General appalls
and ordered the interpreter to translate the voice...

The Poor guy hesitantly replied having no other choice...
He said..... he said .... 
                     "Sulla mother fucker your wife is a slut."
Fortunately, the head of the interpreter remained uncut....

This spoof was repeated continuously, daily.....

I will slaughter all Greeks, Sulla was shouting gaily,
when after several months of fighting the Athenians were defeated.
Roman siege machines, and Sulla were both undefeated.

"Kill them all" yelled the General with accumulated rage,
so to not mentioned Athens in history's any page....

Metella came running, shouting "what are you doing ?"
(the insults of the Greeks over the walls 
                                                     trying to misconstruing).

"don't you realize that you destroy 
                                the city of wisdom and philosophers ?
You must immediately stop them, just call your officers."

The city of Athens was saved thanks to Metella...In the storm called Sulla, his wife was the Greek umbrella...

We the Athenians, two thousand years after,
Apologize to Metella for our insults and laughter...

_____________________________________________________________________

Texts and Narration: Odysseus Heavilayias - ROTTERDAM //
Language adjustments and text adaptation: Kellene G Safis - CHICAGO//
Digital adaptation and text editing: Cathy Rapakoulia Mataraga - PIRAEUS//
                                           

source

*  Caecilia Metella Dalmatica, Daughter of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Dalmaticus, Pontifex Maximus in 115 BC.

   Dalmatica's first marriage was to Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, an aging politician at the peak of his power. The patrician Scaurus was princeps senatus (president of the Senate) and a traditional ally of her family. Dalmatica bore Scaurus two children: Marcus Aemilius Scaurus (II) and Aemilia Scaura, second wife of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.

   Following Scaurus' death, Dalmatica married Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In 86 BC, Gaius Marius obtained his seventh consulship and outlawed his political enemies, ordering confiscation of property and several persecutions. Sulla, at the time in the East fighting king Mithridates VI of Pontus, was at the top of the list. Dalmatica was forced to abandon Rome and met Sulla in Greece. 
   There, she gave birth to the twins Faustus Cornelius Sulla and Fausta (married Titus Annius Milo, praetor in 54 BC). In 81 BC, following a brief civil war with the last of Marius' supporters, Sulla entered Rome and was appointed dictator. Again, Dalmatica followed her husband and became Rome's "First Lady."

 Utopia