Furia






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   FURIA.  The gens patricia among whose members was the great Camillus although he is not seen on the coinage. It also includes other great men who filled high employments under the republic. This gens branched into families whose respective surnames, as they appear on denarii, are Brocchus, Crassipes, Philus and Purpureo. It is uncertain whether the Brocchi were of patrician rank or not. Ten numismatic varieties are given in Morel and eight in Riccio who observes, "si hanno di essa molte monete, et la terra ne da spesso delle nuove".
   Gold is very rare; silver common. It 's brass are the as and its parts. The following are among its principal denarii:
        

  1. BROCCHI III VIR, Bust of Ceres crowned with corn ears, behind the head is an ear of wheat and before it a grain of barley. On the reverse, L FURI CN F.  A curule chair between two fasces with axes.
   The triumvir, L. Furius Brocchus, son of Cerus, must have been moneyer about the year 640 (B.C. 104). The sella curulis with the fasces and the head of Ceres doubtless allude to some glory of the Furia gens and perhaps to the first pretor of Rome in A.U.C. 388 (B.C. 366), and who in that age of of the republic was collega consulibus, atque iisdem auspiciis creatus. However, it is more reasonable to regard the head of Ceres in reference to some distinguished curule edileship in this family than to the first pretor.  The chair with the axed fasces still more strongly points to the dictatorship of M. Furius Camillus.
   These elegant denarii through the discovery of monetal deposits (hoards) are shown to belong to a time anterior to 686 (B.C. 68).  We observe accents employed in the abbreviation of words and an example of refinement in pronunciation such as this very word FURI being used instead of FOVRI (Riccio, 96-97).
  2. AED CVR.  Head of a turreted woman and behind a human foot.  On the reverse, P FOVRIVS inscribed on the front of a curule chair. In the exergue CRASSIPES. (See an engraving of this fine denarius on p. 12).
   By the last word it is clear that from the thickness of the foot, this branch of the Furia gens derived its peculiar surname. P. Furius of the thick foot (Crassipes), curule edile, must have been contemporary with Faonius and Cretonius (plebian ediles, see p. 12) and consequently magistrate in 709 (B.C. 45). By the head of Cybele and the chair of office, reference is made to the Megelesian games, celebrated with extraordinary pomp in the year above named. (Riccio, p. 97).
  3. M FOURI L P. Head of Janus bifrons, bearded and laureate.  On the reverse, PHILI ROMA. Rome, stolated and galeated, stands holding a scepter and the hasta in the left hand while crowning a trophy with the right. (Engraved in Morell. Thesau. Fam. TAB. Furia gens, No. iii).
   M. Furius Philus, son of Lucius, is considered by Ursin (followed by Vaillant and Havercamp) to have been nephew of P. Furius Philus, consul) who together with Caius Flaminius enjoyed the honors of the Triumph for victories gained over the Ligurian Gauls in 531 (B.C. 223).  Also father of the pretor of 583 (B.C. 171).  In his monetal triumverate which occurred about the middle of the century afterwards, in honor of his family was pleased to represent the triumph in question. (See further remarks by Riccio on this denarius).
  4. Head of Rome, galeated, behind it X.  On the reverse, PVRpureo. Diana with the crescent on her forehead, in a biga at speed. Above is the murex, or purple shell, allusive to the surname of Purpureo assumed by this branch of the Furia gens.
   This coin is assigned by Eckhel to Lucius Furius Purpureo who was pretor under the consul C. Aurelius Cotta in 554 (B.C. 200).  Borghesi believes that the moneyer of the denarius above describes was the Lucius Furius Purpureo who in the year above mentioned, while his father served as pretor in Gaul, was legatus of the consul P. Sulpicius Galba in Aetolia as is stated by Livy (l. 31, c. 29). (Also see Riccio, p. 95-96).


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