while a Furius of equestrian rank during the time of Cicero was named Numerius. Branches and cognomina The cognomina of this gens are Aculeo, Bibaculus, Brocchus, Camillus, Crassipes, Fusus, Luscus, Medullinus, Pacilus, Philus, and Purpureo. The only cognomina that occur on coins are Brocchus, Crassipes, Philus, and Purpureo. The oldest branch of the Furii bore the surname Medullinus, which may indicate that they had originally come from the Latin town of Medullia. All of the early Medullini probably bore the additional surname Fusus, probably an ancient praenomen that had fallen out of use before historical times, from which the nomen Furius (originally Fusius) was derived. This surname was also borne by the Furii Pacili, who were probably a cadet branch of the Medullini; Chase considers Pacilus a surname of Oscan origin, suggesting that this branch of the family had Sabine connections. Fusus was probably applicable to all of the early Furii, but was sometimes dropped or used in place of other surnames. Those Furii mentioned without any surname other than Fusus probably belonged to either the Medullini or the Pacili, and did not constitute a separate family. The Furii Camilli were descended from the dictator Marcus Furius Camillus, one of the most famous heroes of the early Republic, credited both with the final defeat of Veii, and with driving the Gauls from Rome following the Gallic sack of Rome in 390 BC. He was a younger son of Lucius Furius Medullinus Fusus, who had thrice served as consular tribune. A camillus was a youth entrusted with certain religious obligations, a role likely to be filled by the younger son of a prominent magistrate. The family then vanishes during the last three centuries of the Republic, but reappears under the early Empire. According to Ronald Syme, their fortune was restored by Augustus, who tried to revive several impoverished patrician families. Of the other surnames borne by families of the Furii, Aculeo, "sharp", is probably derived from aculeus, a spur; Bibaculus originally referred to a tippler; Brocchus to someone with prominent teeth; Crassipes means "thick-footed"; Luscus "one-eyed"; and Philus is borrowed from the Greek Φιλος. The cognomen Purpureo, "rosy, purple", might originally have referred to a person's complexion, but may also have alluded to the family's wealth and influence, or some trading connection; a coin of this family depicts a murex-shell, the source of the expensive dye Tyrian purple, with which the