Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.137

c7.137

Though the Sanskrit *jana* appears to be the linguistic counterpart of the Greek *genos* and Latin *gens*, we agree with Keith when he equates the Sanskrit *viś* with the Iranian *vīs* and believes it to be "a real parallel to the Latin *gens* and the Greek *genos*."¹ Thus, the "body of *viś*" in its constitutional sense would correspond to the Greek *gerousia* or the council of elders, which is applied in the Homeric poems to the councillors of the king.² Greenidge equates this Greek institution with its Roman counterpart. He says, "as the Latin word *patres* applied to the Roman senate was probably derived from *patres-familias*, so γέροντες may mean 'heads of families,' the elders of the tribe. The councillors of Sparta preserved this name into historic times, and it can be proved that the γερονδία of that state ever continued to represent the noble clans of the community".³