Pontiliena gens


The gens Pontiliena was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. No members of this gens appear in history, but a few are mentioned in inscriptions.

Origin

The nomen Pontilienus appears to be formed from Pontilius, another nomen gentilicium. The philologist George Davis Chase describes a class of such nomina, ending in -enus and nearly always derived from other gentile names, rather than places. The root of the name appears to be the Oscan praenomen Pompo or Pomptus, a cognate of the Latin praenomen Quintus. Thus, Pontilienus and similar nomina, such as Pompilius and Pomponia are the Oscan equivalents of Latin names such as Quinctius and Quinctilius.

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