Members of this gens are first mentioned toward the end of the third century BC; Titus Fonteius was a legate of Publius Cornelius Scipio during the Second Punic War.
The first of the Fonteii to obtain the consulship was Gaius Fonteius Capito, consul suffectus in 33 BC.
[1][2] In his oration, Pro Fonteio, Cicero mentions that the Fonteii came originally from Tusculum, of which municipium it was one of the most distinguished families.
But as Janus is always represented in later times with a beard, Eckhel maintains that the two heads refer to the Dioscuri, who were worshipped at Tusculum with especial honours, and who may be regarded as the Di Penates of the gens.
Michael Crawford likewise favours a depiction of the Dioscuri, instead of Fontus, as they appear on other coins of the Fonteii.
Denarius
of Gaius Fonteius, 114-113 BC. The Doscuri are depicted as a Janiform head on the obverse. The reverse shows a galley, a reference to
Telegonus
, son of
Ulysses
and founder of Tusculum.
Denarius of Manius Fonteius, 108-107 BC. The obverse depicts the heads of the Dioscuri. The reverse reuses Telegonus' galley as on the denarius of Gaius Fonteius.
Denarius of Manius Fonteius, 85 BC. The obverse depicts Apollo, as told by the monogram below his chin. The reverse shows a Bacchic scene, with Cupid riding a goat. Another reference to Tusculum is made with the caps of the Dioscuri above them.
Denarius of Publius Fonteius Capito, 55 BC. The obverse depicts
Concordia
, an allusion to Cicero's "harmony of the orders". The reverse shows the
Villa Publica
, with on the left the name of Titus Didius, who restored the building in 98 BC.
Denarius of Publius Fonteius Capito, 55 BC. On the obverse is Mars with a trophy behind. The reverse depicts a scene of martial bravery of a Manius Fonteius, charging two enemies.
