The Phratry from Paiania

Abstract

There is little evidence to support any estimate of the sizes and number of the phratries in Classical Attica. According to the author of the AristotelianAthenaion Politeia, there were four tribes, 12 phratries and 360 gene, corresponding respectively to the seasons, months and days of the year. Most older discussions of the tribal organization of Attica were based on this passage. More recently, however, scholars have come to agree that this information is too schematic to be historical, and in any event was not intended to describe the constitution of Attica in the Classical period. Currently, in spite of this passage, many contend that there were probably numerous phratries in Classical Attica (perhaps as many as there were demes orgene), which varied greatly in size.