Genos

Genos (Greek γένος, plural: γένη " genes " ) in ancient Greece was the name for a mostly kinship -understood community, whose members were connected via a common cooperative name.

In the Archaic period, the term cooperative is both the importance of gender or family as well as in the meaning " of noble birth be " used, from the Hellenistic period it is only based on groups of people who feel they belong to a family. Genes originated in the Archaic period in the course of the polis formation of local village communities, whether older preforms already passed unclear. They were integrated into the poleis and took over there especially religious duties, presumably some were also components of phratries.

The best evidence are the genes Athens, of which about sixty are known by name. Your size, composition and precise function are controversial. Not all citizens of Athens belonged to a cooperative. Members of the genes presented the priests were responsible for the implementation of cults, the alignment of parties and for the supervision of the admission to phratries. In research Attic genes were considered to be remnants of aristocratic clans whose functions were understood as obtained privileges.

Outside Athens are only few genes occupied, for example, in Crete, Naxos or Kos.