Manius Fonteius, silver denarius, 3.84 g.
Title
Manius Fonteius, silver denarius, 3.84 g.
Creator
Manius Fonteius
Date
108 - 107 BCE
Description
Obverse: Jugate and laureate heads of the Dioscuri, facing right; above, two stars; to the right, star. Border of dots.
Reverse: Galley, right, with long protruding rostrum, displaying doliolum in stern, with pilot seated beneath aplustre; above, MN FONTEI; below, control mark, F. Border of dots.
Style/Period: Roman Republic
The depiction of the Dioscuri is similar to that of coin C014, with the images superimposed one upon the other rather than back to back. The depiction of the galley at sea is similar to those on coins C014 and C020. With this coin, Manius Fonteius commemorates the naval exploits of his ancestor P. Fronteius Capito in Sardinia in 169 BCE. Within the doliolum or wine cask in the boat are sacred objects brought from Troy.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96
Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Fonteia, 7; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 192-194, no. 1210; 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 1951) 76, no. 566a; M. H. Crawford, "A Roman Representation of ΚΕΡΑΜΟΣ ΤΡΩΙΚΟΣ," Journal of Roman Studies 61 (1971) 153-154; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 316-317, no. 307/1a; R. A. G. Carson, Principal Coins of the Romans, I (London 1978) 39, no. 116; Cicero, Pro. Font., 3.5.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96
Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Fonteia, 7; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 192-194, no. 1210; 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 1951) 76, no. 566a; M. H. Crawford, "A Roman Representation of ΚΕΡΑΜΟΣ ΤΡΩΙΚΟΣ," Journal of Roman Studies 61 (1971) 153-154; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 316-317, no. 307/1a; R. A. G. Carson, Principal Coins of the Romans, I (London 1978) 39, no. 116; Cicero, Pro. Font., 3.5.
Source
Classics Department Collection
Identifier
C022
Rights
Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890
Files
Citation
Manius Fonteius, “Manius Fonteius, silver denarius, 3.84 g.,” Lawrence University Classics Department & Ottilia Buerger Coin Collections, accessed November 5, 2026, https://thor.lawrence.edu/omeka/buerger/items/show/383.