The gens Pontilia was an obscure plebeian family at

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. Hardly any members of this gens appear in history, but a number of them are mentioned in inscriptions.

Origin

The nomen ''Pontilius'' belongs to a class of gentilicia which were originally derived from

cognomina A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

ending in ''-ilus''. However, such names were so common that the ending ' came to be regarded as a regular gentile-forming suffix, and was applied in cases where there was no morphological justification. This may have been the case with ''Pontilius'', which is probably derived from the

Oscan Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian. Oscan was spoken by a number of tribes, including ...

praenomen ''Pompo'' or ''Pomptus'', which also gave rise to several other nomina, including '' Pompilius'', ''

Pomponius The gens Pomponia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Its members appear throughout the history of the Roman Republic, and into imperial times. The first of the gens to achieve prominence was Marcus Pomponius, tribune of the plebs in 449 BC ...

'', and '' Pontius''. ''Pompo'' was the Oscan cognate of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

praenomen '' Quintus'', and thus ''Pontilius'' was equivalent to Latin gentes such as Quinctia and Quinctilia.

Praenomina

The chief praenomina of the Pontilii were ''

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius P ...

'', '' Marcus'', ''

Lucius Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from '' Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames ('' praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from ...

'', and '' Numerius''. The first three were the most common praenomina throughout Roman history, while ''Numerius'' was mainly used by plebeian families, especially those of Oscan origin. Other praenomina are occasionally found, with instances of '' Publius'', '' Sextus'', and ''

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

'', all of which were very common.

Members

* Pontilia, buried at Rome. * Pontilius, named in an inscription from

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...

Africa Proconsularis Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. * Pontilius M. f., son of Marcus Pontilius Urbanus and Fortunata, buried at Atina in

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Bruttiu ...

, in a tomb dating to the third century AD, or the latter part of the second.. * Gaius Pontilius, mentioned by

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Ha ...

one of the allied leaders during the Social War, may be a mistake for "Gaius ''Pontidius''", which is what he is called by

Velleius Paterculus Marcus Velleius Paterculus (; c. 19 BC – c. AD 31) was a Roman historian, soldier and senator. His Roman history, written in a highly rhetorical style, covered the period from the end of the Trojan War to AD 30, but is most useful for the per ...

. * Gaius Pontilius, one of the masters of Philippus, a slave mentioned in an inscription from

Carthago Nova Cartagena () is a Spanish city and a major naval station on the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Iberia. As of January 2018, it has a population of 218,943 inhabitants, being the region's second-largest municipality and the country's sixth-la ...

in Hispania Citerior.. * Gaius Pontilius, named in an inscription from the present site of Mechta 'Ain el Msad, formerly part of Numidia. * Marcus Pontilius, one of the masters of Philippus. * Marcus Pontilius, named in an inscription from Aquileia in

Venetia and Histria Venetia et Histria (Latin: ''Regio X Venetia et Histria'') was an administrative subdivision in the northeast of Roman Italy. It was originally created by Augustus as the tenth ''regio'' in 7 AD alongside the nine other ''regiones''. The region h ...

. * Numerius Pontilius, buried at Atina. * Gaius Pontilius Bantius, named in a libationary inscription from

Thignica Thignica was a town in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. It served as a Latin Catholic titular see. The town Thignica's stone ruins are called Aïn Tounga, located southwest of Testour, Tunisia. They are very extensive and cover the s ...

in Africa Proconsularis. * Pontilius Caedimnus, a friend of Gnaeus Julius Maturus, a quattuorvir buried at Hipponium in

Bruttium 01 or '01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''O1'' (Hiroyuki Sawa ...

, during the second or third centuries AD. * Numerius Pontilius Campanus, buried at Atina, in a tomb dedicated by his children. * Marcus Pontilius Cerealis, named in an inscription from Rome. * Gaius Pontilius Coronarius, named in a libationary inscription from Thignica. * Pontilius Crescens, buried at Ausafa in Africa Proconsularis, aged fifty-eight. * Pontilia Crispina, wife of Tiberius Parmensius Tacitus, and mother of Parmensia Tacitae, buried with her daughter at

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

in Etruria. * Lucius Pontilius L. f. Durus, a standard-bearer, named in an inscription from

Caere : Caere (also Caisra and Cisra) is the Latin name given by the Romans to one of the larger cities of southern Etruria, the modern Cerveteri, approximately 50–60 kilometres north-northwest of Rome. To the Etruscans it was known as Cisra, t ...

in Etruria. * Lucius Pontilius Epidius, one of the masters of Philodamus, a slave, named in an inscription from

Minturnae Minturno is a city and ''comune'' in the southern Lazio, Italy, situated on the north west bank of the Garigliano (known in antiquity as the Liris), with a suburb on the opposite bank about from its mouth, at the point where the Via Appia cross ...

.. * Marcus Pontilius Epidius, one of the masters of Philodamus. * Publius Pontillius Eros, named in an inscription from Rome. * Pontilia Festa, buried at the present site of Sidi Mohammed el Azreg, formerly part of Africa Proconsularis, aged fifty-five. * Pontilius Fortunatus, buried at Thagura in Africa Proconsularis. * Gaius Pontilius Fregellanus, an administrative decurion at

Salona Salona ( grc, Σάλωνα) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. Salona was founded in the 3rd century BC and was mostly destroyed in ...

in Dalmatia. * Pontilius Nundinarius, named in a libationary inscription from Thignica. * Pontilia Renata, dedicated a tomb at Atina, dating to the third century AD, to her husband, Aurelius Quintasius, aged forty-five. * Publius Pontilius Saturninus, buried at the present site of Marakib, formerly part of Africa Proconsularis. * Pontilia Secunda, daughter of Pontilius Victorinus, buried at

Madaurus Madauros (''Madaurus'', ''Madaura'') was a Roman-Berber city and a former diocese of the Catholic Church in the old state of Numidia, in present-day Algeria. History The birth of the city dates back to the 5th century BC under the aegis of the ...

in Numidia, aged twenty-nine years, ten months, and twenty-four days.''ILAlg'', i. 2666. * Marcus Pontilius Urbanus, husband of Fortunata, buried a son at Atina. * Titus Pontilius Venal .. named in an inscription from Pausulae in Picenum. * Pontilius Victorinus, father of Pontilia Secunda. * Sextus Pontilius Vindex,

aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to ...

and quattuorvir, buried at the present site of Rouzou, formerly in Africa Proconsularis. * Caecilius Pontilius Paulinus, a

flamen A (plural ''flamens'' or ''flamines'') was a priest of the ancient Roman religion who was assigned to one of eighteen deities with official cults during the Roman Republic. The most important of these were the three (or "major priests"), who ser ...

and patron of the Roman colony at Madaurus.''ILAlg'', i. 2101.

References

{{reflist, 30em

Bibliography

Marcus Velleius Paterculus Marcus Velleius Paterculus (; c. 19 BC – c. AD 31) was a Roman historian, soldier and senator. His Roman history, written in a highly rhetorical style, covered the period from the end of the Trojan War to AD 30, but is most useful for the per ...

, ''Compendium of Roman History''. * Appianus Alexandrinus (

), ''Bellum Civile'' (The Civil War). * ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). *

Theodor Mommsen Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th centu ...

''et alii'', '' Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (The Body of Latin Inscriptions, abbreviated ''CIL''), Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1853–present). * Gustav Wilmanns, ''Inscriptiones Africae Latinae'' (Latin Inscriptions from Africa, abbreviated ''ILAfr''), Georg Reimer, Berlin (1881). * Ettore Pais, ''Corporis Inscriptionum Latinarum Supplementa Italica'' (Italian Supplement to the ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum''), Rome (1884). * René Cagnat ''et alii'', ''

L'Année épigraphique ''L'Année épigraphique'' (''The Epigraphic Year'', standard abbreviation ''AE'') is a French publication on epigraphy (i.e the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing). It was set up by René Cagnat, as holder of the chair of 'Epigraphy an ...

'' (The Year in Epigraphy, abbreviated ''AE''), Presses Universitaires de France (1888–present). * George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897). * Stéphane Gsell, ''Inscriptions Latines de L'Algérie'' (Latin Inscriptions from Algeria, abbreviated ''ILAlg''), Edouard Champion, Paris (1922–present). * ''Inscriptiones Italiae'' (Inscriptions from Italy, abbreviated ''InscrIt''), Rome (1931-present). Roman gentes

Origin

Praenomina

Members

See also

References

Bibliography