Roman aristocrat of the late Republic, sister of the tribune Publius Clodius Pulcher and wife of the consul Metellus Celer. A cultured and independent woman, she is traditionally identified as the “Lesbia” celebrated by Catullus and was violently attacked by Cicero in the Pro Caelio.
Clodia Metella
Clodia Metelli (born Claudia Pulchra, gens Claudia)
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Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born around 95 BC into the patrician gens Claudia, daughter of Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul in 79 BC).
- Wife of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, consul in 60 BC and dead in 59 BC; rumor, spread by Cicero, would accuse her of having poisoned him.
- Sister of Publius Clodius Pulcher, the turbulent tribune of the plebs assassinated in 52 BC.
- In 56 BC, the central target of Cicero's speech, the Pro Caelio, which defended her former lover Marcus Caelius Rufus by portraying her as a dissolute woman.
- Identified since antiquity (on the testimony of Apuleius) as the “Lesbia” of Catullus's love poems.
Works & Achievements
Identified as the Lesbia celebrated by Catullus in verse, she inspired one of the most famous cycles of love poetry in Latin literature.
Cicero's portrait of her made her one of the most vivid — and most controversial — female figures in all of Roman prose.
A cultured woman, she gathered poets and politicians in her homes, playing the role of a patron of the arts that was unusual for a Roman woman.
A wealthy widow, she personally managed her residence on the Palatine, her gardens by the Tiber, and her villa at Baiae, exercising an independence rare for her time.
For historians, she embodies the “new woman” of the late Republic, free in her choices and powerful through her wealth and her network.
Anecdotes
The poet Catullus never names Clodia directly: he sings of her under the nickname "Lesbia
a nod to the great Greek poetess Sappho of the island of Lesbos. Centuries later, the writer Apuleius revealed that this mysterious Lesbia was indeed Clodia. The pseudonym also had the same rhythm as her real name, which made it possible to fit it into his verses.
In 56 BC, Caelius, a former lover of Clodia, was accused of having tried to poison her. His defender, Cicero, cleverly turned the situation around: instead of merely defending the accused, he put Clodia herself "on trial
ridiculing her before the judges by nicknaming her the "Medea of the Palatine." The courtroom laughed, and Caelius was acquitted.
In one of his pleadings, Cicero imagines summoning back from the dead an illustrious ancestor of Clodia, the blind censor Appius Claudius Caecus, so that he might reprimand his descendant for her conduct. This spectacular device, called prosopopoeia, made a strong impression on the Roman audience.
Catullus wrote two of the most famous animal poems of antiquity: one in which he watches Lesbia play with her little tame sparrow (passer), the other in which he mourns the bird's death. These tender, light-hearted verses inspired poets for two thousand years.
When her husband, the consul Metellus Celer, died suddenly in 59 BC, rumors — later spread by her enemies — accused her of having poisoned him. No proof exists, but the episode shows how a wealthy, cultured, and independent woman could easily become the target of gossip in the Rome of that era.
Primary Sources
Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love, and as for all the murmurs of stern old men, let us reckon them worth but a single penny.
I hate and I love. Why do I do this, perhaps you ask. I do not know, but I feel it happening, and it is torture.
Cicero compares Clodia to a “Medea of the Palatine” and conjures up the shade of her ancestor Appius Claudius to reproach her for her scandalous conduct and her debaucheries at Baiae.
In his private correspondence, Cicero refers to Clodia by the mocking Greek nickname “Boôpis” (ox-eyed), a Homeric epithet of the goddess Juno, insinuating that she was too close to her brother.
Apuleius explains that poets concealed the identity of their loved ones under false names: “Catullus, in place of Clodia, says Lesbia.”
Key Places
Aristocratic hill where Clodia owned her residence; Cicero ironically nicknamed her the “Medea of the Palatine.”
Vast pleasure gardens along the banks of the Tiber where she loved to entertain and stroll, places that Cicero portrayed as the scene of scandals.
A fashionable seaside resort renowned for its pleasures, where Clodia stayed; Cicero used it as an argument in his attacks on her morality.
The political and judicial heart of Rome, where the trial of Caelius was held in 56 BC, during which Cicero made Clodia his target.
A town south of Rome near which her brother Clodius was killed in 52 BC, an event that marked the end of her family's power.
Typical Objects
Long traditional dress of the Roman matron, a sign of her status as a married woman of high birth, which Clodia wore over her tunic.
Large draped cloak that Roman women sometimes pulled over their heads in public; Clodia's enemies criticized her for appearing too freely without this modest covering.
Small boards coated with wax on which letters and poems were inscribed; it was on such objects that Catullus's love verses to Lesbia circulated.
Disc of polished metal used as a mirror; a common grooming object for wealthy Roman women tending to their makeup and hair.
Gold rings, earrings, and pearls displayed Clodia's wealth; Cicero mocked her taste for luxury and finery.
A kind of bed carried on the arms of slaves, allowing aristocrats to travel through Rome without walking through the mud of the streets.
Precious tableware of the convivia, those society dinners where Clodia, a cultured woman, hosted poets and political figures.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Daily Life
Morning
The morning of a great lady like Clodia began with her toilette: slaves dressed her hair in elaborate curls and applied cosmetics and perfumes. She then received the salutatio, the morning visits of clients and friends who came to pay their respects at her rising.
Afternoon
The afternoon was devoted to household affairs, social calls, and strolls through her gardens along the banks of the Tiber. A cultivated woman, she might also read, listen to poetry, or converse with the finest minds of Rome.
Evening
In the evening came the convivium, the banquet, the centerpiece of aristocratic social life. Reclining on a dining couch, Clodia shared refined dishes, wine cut with water, music, and conversation with poets and politicians.
Food
The tables of wealthy Romans offered bread, vegetables, fruit, cheeses, fish, poultry, and meats seasoned with the famous fish sauce (garum). Wine, always mixed with water, accompanied meals, sometimes enhanced with honey or spices.
Clothing
She wore a tunic of linen or silk, covered by the stola of married matrons, and draped the palla over it when going out. Gold jewelry, pearls, and costly dyed fabrics signaled her rank; her detractors reproached her for a luxury and a freedom of dress they considered provocative.
Housing
Clodia lived in a vast domus on the Palatine, the hill of the great families, adorned with mosaics, frescoes, and colonnaded peristyles. She also owned pleasure gardens along the Tiber and a holiday villa at Baiae, by the sea.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
L'inspiratrice de la « Lesbia » de Catulle
v. 60-55 av. J.-C.
Figure centrale du Pro Caelio de Cicéron
56 av. J.-C.
Un cercle culturel sur le Palatin
années 60-50 av. J.-C.
La gestion autonome de ses biens
après 59 av. J.-C.
Le modèle de la femme romaine émancipée
Ier siècle av. J.-C.
