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Glite Dictionary
phratria

phratria

9.9
A group of related families in ancient Greece with shared religious and social roles
  • noun
  • /ˈfræ.tɪ.ri.ə/
  • Archaic
: fratria
  • In ancient Athens, the phratria played a crucial role in connecting families through shared religious practices.

Examples

  • Why else would the power base of the aristocracy, the phratria, fall so easily to Kleisthenic reforms?

    Academic text (1995)

  • Its continuity can be illustrated by the history of the word phratria, which is cognate with the almost universal Indo-European term for brother.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Members of a phratria participated in rituals that reinforced their social bonds and community identity.

  • The political power of a city-state was often influenced by the strength of its phratria and its collective traditions.

Synonyms

phyle
vsphratria
1 9.9

A group of citizens in ancient Athens that organizes public and political life

is a smaller kin-based subdivision focused on religious and social functions
phratry
vsphratria
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of clans or families that claim one common ancestor

is specific to ancient Athens and includes formal religious and social duties

Surface Forms

phratria singular
phratriae plural

Etymology

Phratria comes from the Greek root phrater, meaning 'brother', and is like the English word fraternity. A phratria was a group of families who acted like brothers and shared religious and social duties, so the origin explains why it means a family or clan group in ancient Greece.