 They were granted patrician status, along with other noble Alban families.The Julii also existed at an early period at Bovillae, evidenced by a very ancient inscription on an altar in the theatre of that town, which speaks of their offering sacrifices according to the "lege Albana", or Alban rites.The "cognomen" "Caesar" originated, according to Pliny the Elder, with an ancestor who was born by Caesarean section (from the Latin verb to cut, "caedere", "caes-").