Phratry

Phratry (Greek φρατρία phratría " brotherhood " of φρατήρ frater "brother" ) referred to in ancient Greece, a group of several family groups (genes), which derived its common kinship and descent from a mostly mythical ancestors. A phratry could economically work together, maintain their own religious cults, act as a political entity and together with other phratries the social organization of a tribe or city-state.

In archaic Greece between about 700 and 500 BC, a phratry was a medium-sized relational association within the simple structure of the ancient Greek tribe ( the tribe ). The "brotherhood" consisted of several clans who traced their descent through a common patrilineal fathers line from a mostly mythical ancestor. Already in the Iliad the Greek army is organized by tribes and phratries in the battle for Troy

In the period of Athenian state from 500 to 300 BC called phratry a territorial organizational subunit in politics and the military. With the reforms of Cleisthenes in 500 BC the phratries lost their previous control over the status of citizen, which now lay in the newly established local authorities ( demes ). Until then, men were only through their membership in a phratry as full citizens of the City of Athens legitimized (and women with limited civil rights ). The phratries sat down now from different layers of noble and non-noble outdoors together, led by a noble family; primarily as a cult organizations they were part of the social organization of urban residents ( see outline of the polis, Ancient Society). All phratries celebrated in autumn along the three-day Apaturia hard, discussed at the joint Affairs and newborn children and pubescent sons were introduced into their own Brotherhood, accompanied by recording rites and hair and animal sacrifices. Notably, nine of the Attic phratries known, a total of 30 phratries are suspected.