DR-397 | Crawford: 353/1b
Manlius Fonteius
Manlio Fonteius

Gens: Fonteia
Moneyer: Manlius Fonteius
Date and mint: 85 BC - Rome


Obverse: Laureate bust of Apollo, right; Down, Lightning. Dotted border.
Legend: MN FONTEI / C F AP
Symbols: Reverse above, Pileo | Reverse exergue, Tirso

Reverse: Cupid on goat, right; around, laurel wreath. Dotted border.
Legend:

Comment: The Fonteia gens was a plebeian family originally from Tusculum, a city in Latium where there was a special devotion to the Dioscuri. It is no coincidence that their coins frequently include the characteristic hats of Castor and Pollux, as also occurs in this issue. The Fonteii claimed descent from Fontus, son of the god Janus, giving them an aura of mythical antiquity.

The moneyer man Manlio Fonteio held his position in the year 85 BC, in the midst of the crisis of the civil war. He was quaestor and delegate of Sulla in Hispania, and later became praetor in Gaul Narbonensis. Their coins reflect the climate of uncertainty of the time, resorting to divine images that conveyed protection and continuity.

The obverse features Apollo laureate, accompanied by a lightning bolt, with the inscription MN FONTEI C F/AP. The god of light and harmony symbolizes order and renewal in the midst of chaos.

The reverse is much more unique: a Cupid riding a goat, surrounded by a laurel wreath. According to tradition, in the temple of Apollo Vejovis a statue was kept that represented a winged child on a goat, which explains the relationship between both sides of the coin. In addition, the pileus and the thyrsus appear, symbols associated with the Bacchic world and the Dioscuri, reinforcing the connection with Tusculum.

The message conveyed by this coinage is complex and suggestive. Apollo represents harmony and order, while Cupid on the goat, with its connotations of fertility and vitality, brings a sense of renewal. The Dioscuri complete the scene as guarantors of protection and victory. Taken together, the coin offered Romans a hopeful vision: Roma, under the tutelage of its gods, would overcome political disorder to enter a new era of prosperity.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2020)
Price: 2,355 €