This paper attempts to gauge the ability of thegensto influence the affairs of its members by tracing the development of the rules governing intestate inheritance. It will argue that, although the power of thegensin this area of the law did eventually give way to a more centralised and stronger state, a development which has been documented in other areas of Roman society as well, thegenswas nonetheless able to continue to exert an influence on its members for some considerable time. The present study will analyse several cases to argue this point and examine both the means by which this centuries-long change took place, as well as highlight a period that witnessed a potential acceleration of the trend away from gentilicial importance. Finally, it will return to the circumstances of early Rome, the focal point for this volume, and offer some cautionary notes for thinking about the period that was in many ways the starting point for these developments.

中文翻译：

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民国初期的继承与无遗嘱继承

本文试图衡量氏族通过追踪无遗嘱继承规则的发展来影响其成员的事务。它将争辩说，尽管氏族在这方面的法律最终让位于一个更集中、更强大的国家，这一发展也记录在罗马社会的其他领域，氏族尽管如此，它仍然能够在相当长的一段时间内继续对其成员施加影响。本研究将分析几个案例来论证这一点，并检查这种长达数百年的变化发生的方式，并强调一个见证了远离宗族重要性的趋势可能加速发展的时期。最后，它将回到本卷的重点罗马早期的情况，并提供一些警示说明，以供思考在许多方面是这些发展起点的时期。