# Progenitor > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Progenitor > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Progenitor.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progenitor > Source revision: 1321121705 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Not to be confused with [Progenitor cell](/source/Progenitor_cell). In [genealogy](/source/Genealogy), a **progenitor** (rarer: **primogenitor**) is the founder (sometimes one that is [legendary](/source/Legendary_progenitor)) of a [family](/source/Family), [line of descent](/source/Kinship), [gens](/source/Gens), [clan](/source/Clan), [tribe](/source/Tribe), [noble house](/source/Nobility), or [ethnic group](/source/Ethnic_group).[1] Genealogy (commonly known as family history) understands a progenitor to be the earliest recorded [ancestor](/source/Ancestor) of a [consanguineous](/source/Consanguineous) family group of [descendants](/source/Lineal_descendant). Progenitors are sometimes used to describe the status of a genealogical research project, or in order to compare the availability of genealogical data in different times and places. Often, progenitors are implied to be [patrilineal](/source/Patrilineality). If a patrilineal [dynasty](/source/Dynasty) is considered, each such dynasty has exactly one progenitor. [Aristocratic](/source/Nobility) and [dynastic families](/source/Dynasty) often look back to an ancestor who is seen as the founder and progenitor of their house (i.e. family line). Even the old [Roman legal concept](/source/Roman_law) of [agnates](/source/Agnate) ([Latin](/source/Latin) for "descendants") was based on the idea of the unbroken family line of a progenitor, but only includes male members of the family, whilst the women were referred to as "[cognatic](/source/Cognatic)". It is rarely possible to confirm [biological parenthood](/source/Biological_parenthood) in the case of ancient family lines (see [bastardy](/source/Bastardy)). In addition, the progenitor is often a distant ancestor, only known as a result of [oral tradition](/source/Oral_tradition). Where people groups and communities rely solely on a [patrilinear](/source/Patrilinear) family line, their common ancestor often became the subject of a legend surrounding the origin of the family. By contrast, families and peoples with a [matrilinear](/source/Matrilinear) history trace themselves back to an original female **progenitrix**. Matrilinear [rules of descent](/source/Rules_of_descent) are found in about 200 of the 1300 known [indigenous peoples](/source/Indigenous_people) and [ethnic groups](/source/Ethnic_group) worldwide, whilst around 600 have patrilineal rules of descent (from father to son).[2] In the [mythological beliefs](/source/Mythology) of the [Romans](/source/Roman_Empire) the god of war, [Mars](/source/Mars_(mythology)), was viewed as the progenitor of the Romans;[3] which is why the [Mars symbol](/source/Mars_symbol) ([♂](/source/%E2%99%82), a shield and spear), is used to refer to the [male sex](/source/Masculinity). Besides cities and countries, [ethnic groups](/source/Ethnic_groups) may also have a progenitor (often a god) in their mythologies, for example, the [Hellenistic](/source/Hellenistic) [Greeks](/source/Greeks) look back to [Hellen](/source/Hellen) as their progenitor. In Indian [Hinduism](/source/Hinduism) *Manu* is the progenitor of all mankind. In the [Abrahamic religions](/source/Abrahamic_religions), [Adam](/source/Adam), [Noah](/source/Noah), [Abraham](/source/Abraham) and others are described as progenitors (see also [Biblical patriarchy](/source/Biblical_patriarchy)). In [archaeogenetics](/source/Archaeogenetics) (archaeological genetics), a human [Y-chromosomal Adam](/source/Y-chromosomal_Adam) has been named as the [most recent common ancestor](/source/Most_recent_common_ancestor) from whom all currently living people are descended patrilinearly. This Adam lived in [Africa](/source/Africa) at a time variously estimated from 60,000 to 338,000 years ago. And [Mitochondrial Eve](/source/Mitochondrial_Eve), the most recent common ancestor in the matrilineal line, is estimated to have lived from 100,000 to 230,000 years ago. (There being no suggestion that these, “Eve” and “Adam”, lived at nearby times or places. And there were many other common ancestors in other lines of descent.) ## Examples of patrilineal progenitors subject dynasty progenitor date of progenitor's death Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Wettin Dietrich I of Wettin ca. 976 King Philippe of the Belgians Wettin Dietrich I of Wettin ca. 976 King Hussein bin Ali Hashemite Ali 661 Emperor Naruhito of Japan Imperial House of Japan Keitai 10 March 531 Charlemagne Carolingian Bishop Arnulf of Metz 640 Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom Este Otbert I, Count Palatine of Italy 975 Queen Margrethe II of Denmark Oldenburg Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg 1112 King Harald V of Norway Oldenburg Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg 1112 King Charles III of the United Kingdom Oldenburg Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg 1112 King Felipe VI of Spain Robertians/Capetians Robert of Hesbaye ca. 807 Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg Robertians/Capetians Robert of Hesbaye ca. 807 George William, Duke of Liegnitz and Brieg Piast dynasty Piast the Wheelwright 861 King Gediminas of Lithuania Gediminas Polemon II of Pontus 74 ## See also - [Protoplast](/source/Protoplast_(religion)), progenitors of mankind in a creation story - [Ancestor](/source/Ancestor) - [Ahnentafel](/source/Ahnentafel) - [Legendary progenitor](/source/Legendary_progenitor) - [Progenitor cell](/source/Progenitor_cell) ## References 1. Duden-Redaktion (2013-01-19). ["Stammmutter"](http://www.duden.de/node/792509/revisions/1250668/view). Bibliographisches Institut, Berlin. Retrieved 2013-10-12. Stammvater, der: Mann als Begründer eines Stammes, einer Sippe. Ebenda: [*Ahnherr:*](http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Ahnherr) "Stammvater eines Geschlechts". 1. J. Patrick Gray: *Ethnographic Atlas Codebook.* In: *World Cultures.* Vol. 10, No. 1, 1998, pp. 86-136, here p. 104: Table 43 *Descent: Major Type* (one of the few assessments of all 1,267 ethnic groups; [pdf file; 2.4 MB; without page nos.](http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/worldcul/Codebook4EthnoAtlas.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20121118232413/http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/worldcul/Codebook4EthnoAtlas.pdf) November 18, 2012 at the Wayback Machine): "584 Patrilineal […] 52 Duolateral […] 160 Matrilineal […] 45 Mixed". The [*Ethnographic Atlas by George P. Murdock*](http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/worldcul/atlas.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130802074051/http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/worldcul/atlas.htm) August 2, 2013 at the Wayback Machine contains data sets of 1,300 ethnic groups (as at December 2012 at [*InterSciWiki*](http://intersci.ss.uci.edu/wiki/index.php/Ethnographic_Atlas) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130131114951/http://intersci.ss.uci.edu/wiki/index.php/Ethnographic_Atlas) January 31, 2013 at the Wayback Machine), of which often only samples were assessed. 1. Lexikoneintrag (2000–2013). ["Mars (Mythologie)"](http://www.wissen.de/lexikon/mars-mythologie?keyword=Mars). *[wissen.de](/source/Wissen.de)*. Retrieved 2013-10-12. Mars […] as father of *Romulus* and *Remus*, progenitor of the Romans. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Progenitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progenitor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progenitor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.