Caius Fonteius, silver denarius, 3.88 g.

Caius Fonteius, silver denarius, 3.88 g.

Caius Fonteius

114 - 113 BCE

Obverse: Laureate, Janiform head of Dioscuri; on left and right, star; below, control mark, ···. Border of dots.

Reverse: Galley with pilot and three rowers, left; above, C FONT; below, ROMA. Border of dots.

Style/Period: Roman Republic

The family of Caius Fonteius was from Tusculum, a small town south of Rome popular for its villas and opportunities for otium. According to tradition, Tusculum was founded by Telegonus, who sailed across the ocean to incorporate the town. Tusculum was also the center of the worship of the Dioscuri (see coin C003). To honor his hometown, Caius Fonteius has depicted the Dioscuri on the obverse, as well as a galley on the reverse to commemorate the journey of Telegonus. The janiform head on the obverse has also been interpreted as Fos or Fontus, the son of Janus from whom the Fonteius family derived its name.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96

Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886), Fonteia, 1; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), II, 292-293, no. 602; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 440; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 74, no. 555; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 304, no. 290/1.

Classics Department Collection

C014

Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890