Within the tribal system, the people were organized by gens and family. Gens is the class of families with the same nomen or name. For example, Publius Cornelius Scipio (Africanus) had the nomen Cornelius because he was a member of the gens Cornelii. His brother was Lucius Cornelius Scipio. Their father was Publius Cornelius Scipio. There grandfather was Lucius Cornelius Scipio. Gens affiliation was fundamental to the power structure of the government – particularly in the Senate, as father, son, nephew, and cousin were all elected to serve.
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