DR-243 | Crawford: 290/1
Caius Fonteius
Caius Fonteius

Gens: Fonteia
Moneyer: Caius Fonteius
Date and mint: 114 BC/113 BC - Rome


Obverse: Janiform bust of the Dioscuri. Dotted border.
Legend:
Symbols: Obverse below, control mark | Obverse left field, control mark | Obverse right field, x

Reverse: Galley, left. Dotted border.
Legend: C FONT ROMA

Comment: The Fonteia gens was of plebeian origin, and although it was not one of the most prominent in Romen history, some Fonteii are mentioned in military and political contexts.

Gaius Fonteius, the moneyer man of this issue, is not well known in terms of his political career beyond his role as quaestor or aedile in Rome at the end of the 2nd century BC. Roman military. As a Legate, when the social war broke out in the 90s BC, he was murdered in a riot.

In the context of 114 BC/113 BC, Roma was consolidating its expansion in the Mediterranean and was facing several external conflicts. It was a time in which political struggles between the optimates and the popular ones were beginning to intensify, marking the beginning of tensions that would lead to the reforms and civil wars of the following decades. The Republic still maintained a stable political structure, although signs of the tensions that would deeply affect it in the following century were already evident.

On the obverse of the denarius there appears a Janiform bust of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux. These twin brothers were protectors of travelers and sailors, and were associated with victory at the Battle of Regillus. Its appearance symbolizes both divine protection over Roma and the military and heroic tradition of the Republic.

On the reverse, the image of the galley could be linked both to the importance of Roman naval power in this period, and to the connection of the Fonteia gens with maritime or commercial affairs.

Provenance: Bertolami Fine Arts (2018)
Price: 9,190 €