________________
2. MORGAN ON GAŅA Morgan maintains that the principle branches of the Aryan family (race) were organised in gentes, when first Gaņa Society
known historically, sustaining the inference say that when one undivided people, they were thus organised. Homer's are the most ancient literary records to Morgan. Rgveda seems to have been unknown to him. He considers civilization to have commenced with the Asiatic Greeks with the composition of the Homeric poems about 850 B. C. and among the Eruopean Greeks about a century later with the composition of the Hesiodic poems. The Grecian society till this time lived in the gentile society in which they had lived from time immemorial. The people were now seeking to transfer themselves out of this gentile society into a political society based upon territory and upon property. This political society had begun to be established in the sixth century B. C. The Grecian gentile social organisation persisted till that period. The chief characteristics of the Grecian genos are :
1. Common religious rites,
2. A common burial place. Grecian Genos
3. Mutual rights of succession to property of deceased members.
4. Reciprocal obligations to help, defence and redress of injuries.
5. The right to intermarry in the gens in cases of orphan daughters and heiresses.
6. The possession of common property, an archon and a treasurer. 7. The limitation of descent to the male line,
13
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org