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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > A tribal society

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• Despite contrasts and variety economic patterns and cultural patterning – social structure almost always tribal. Immediate family, accessible family and much larger family. Tribes seen via line of descent from eponymous ancestor. Fellow tribesmen, same family, defend each other.

• Many large solidarity groups of considerable stability and seem to function as cohesive and virtually autonomous social units

• Tribe and increasing sub-divisions within focus for primary loyalty – defence against insult or injury.

• Sub-divisions between lineages could lead to bitterness and rivalry between lineages etc. Tribe brings social stability, but subdivisions mean not always social support.

• Lineages and tribes constantly evolving – hard to trace formation, lineages graduated to tribe status, but periods of stability.

• Bakr tribal group 600 in northeastern Arabia - but sharp internal differences in smaller groups within effective foci of loyalty.

• Genealogy – primary representation of political realities within a tribe – upper echelons – reconstructed at upper levels to reflect power rships. Clear political purpose in genealogies.

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