Anchisteia

Anchisteia ( Greek  ἀγχιστεία "kinship group") refers to a demarcated kinship group in ancient Greece , which was responsible for the funeral of their relatives and, in the case of homicide, the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators. The members of an anchisteia had the right, in the appropriate order, to inherit land ( kleros ) that had belonged to a deceased male board member ( kyrios ) of a related household ( oikos ).

The anchisteia included blood relatives up to the children of 1st degree cousins , sometimes also 2nd degree, this was regulated differently in the respective legal systems . However, in principle neither the wife nor illegitimate children (νόστοι) belonged to this group, and from 450 BC onwards. According to a law of Perikles in Athens , no children from a marriage with a stranger either.

See also

• Genos (kinship)
• Phratry ("brotherhood")
• Hetairia (ancient friendship association)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Sarah B. Pomeroy: Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece: Representations and Realities. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1997, p. 19 ( view of quotations in Google Book Search ).
2. ^ Georg Busolt : Greek political science. 2nd volume, CH Beck, Munich 1926, p. 940 (reprint 1972; side view in the Google book search).