gens

In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen gentilicium and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was called a stirps (: stirpes). The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italia during the period of the Roman Republic. Much of individuals' social standing depended on the gens to which they belonged. Certain gentes were classified as patrician, others as plebeian; some had both patrician and plebeian branches. The importance of the gens as a social structure declined considerably in imperial times, although the gentilicium continued to define the origins and dynasties of the ancient Romans, including the emperors.

==Origins== The word gens is sometimes translated as "race", or "nation", meaning a people descended from a common ancestor. It can also be translated as "clan", "kin", or "tribe", although the word tribus has a separate and distinct meaning in Roman culture. A gens could be as small as a single family, or could include hundreds of individuals. According to tradition, in 479 BC the Fabia gens alone were able to field a militia consisting of three hundred and six men of fighting age. The concept of the gens was not uniquely Roman, but was shared with communities throughout Italy, including those who spoke Italic languages such as Latin, Oscan, and Umbrian as well as the Etruscans, whose language was unrelated. All of these peoples were eventually absorbed into the sphere of Roman culture.