Pontilia gens


The gens Pontilia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. 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 ending in -ilus. However, such names were so common that the ending ''

Praenomina

The chief praenomina of the Pontilii were Gaius, Marcus, Lucius, 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, all of which were very common.

Members