Family and clan as cultural phenomena in Classical Antiquity: Ancient Greek ΟΙΚΟΣ and ΓΕΝΟΣ as compared with Roman FAMILIAand GENS

Abstract

The article contains a comparative analysis of some elements of Ancient Greek and Roman familial and generical structures. At the first view,the two systems are extremely similar. The lowest, primary level is in both cases is the family (Greek οἶκος, Roman familia). At the following level there is a thing often translated as “clan” (Greek γένος, Roman gens). Further on, we again there are units those seem to correlate: Greek phratry (φρατρία) and Roman curia. Still further on, there is a large unit usually understood as the tribe: Greek φυλή and Roman tribus. The article, however, notes that the analogy is false. If Ancient Greek family (οἶκος) has features of principal similarity with the Roman one (familia), yet already at the next taxonomic level, Greek γένος demonstrates very serious differences from Roman gens , and the differences only grow at higher levels (Greek φρατρία and Roman curia , Greek φυλή and Roman tribus). The article also touches the history of the issue and specially accentuates the impact brought to the study of Ancient Greek gentile structures by French scholars F. Bourriot and D. Roussel; they, as a matter of fact, offered and proved a principally new understanding of the Hellenic γένος.