Hoplite Shield Designs

[hoplite14gr]

The most known "GENOS" (translated as "clan" in English) was the Alkmeonides. The term for example "GENOS ALKMEONIDON" appears in the writings of Plutarch, Herodotus and Thukidides.

The issue is to follow the evolution of the word GENOS in the Greek language.

In Hesiod and Homer the "Genos" describes both race and clan and sometimes (rarely) nation.

In the "natural histories" of early writers use the terms "Genos" and "Ethnos" (modern literal translation "nation") even as "Ethnos zoon" (nation of amimals!) which shows the evolution of this word.

Plutarch and Pausanian who live in A.D . pariod and have their education affected by the "Alexandrine Scool" use the term "Genos" as "clan" or "family group".

The term Genos as a family group (clan) is consolidated from the Alexandrine scholars, kept by the Byzantine authors and even today is used in modern Greek as description of family and in context of biology texts as describing gender (very rarely).

Except texts in some cases archeological finds complement the texts.


The clans lost their power with the Klesthenian reforms where he decreed that every new tribe (from those he created) had 30 "GENI = clans".
Source: Herodotus Plutarch
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