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| | gens - Article and Reference from OnPedia.com |
 | | In ancient Rome, the gens (pl. gentes) was a term used to refer to a clan, or group of families, that shared a common name (the nomen) and a belief in a common ancestor. |
 | | Originally the plebeians and patricians were not allowed to intermarry, and several patrician families had collapsed as a result, until the Lex Canuleia was passed. |
 | | The maiores were the leading families of Rome: these were the Aemilii, Claudii, Cornelii, Fabii, and Valerii, and they claimed special religious and secular privileges. |
| www.onpedia.com /encyclopedia/gens (224 words) |
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