noun
- In ancient Greece, a political subdivision or tribe, especially one of the ten divisions of Attica in classical Athens.
Usage: historical; often capitalized when referring to a specific phyle
Examples
- The citizens of Athens were organized into ten phylae for administrative and military purposes.
- Each phyle in ancient Athens had its own representatives in the government.
- The phyle system was a fundamental part of Athenian democratic structure.
- Members of the same phyle often shared religious duties and social obligations.
- Solon's reforms reorganized the Athenian population into new phylae based on wealth rather than birth.