Editing Family tree (section)

== Notable examples ==
[[File:Archive-ugent-be-91DB5610-F70D-11DF-AECD-543B9BE017E0 DS-52.jpg|thumb|361x361px|Family trees are an age-old phenomenon. This example dates from the sixteenth century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stambomen van de families de Cordes, de Langhe, Bouckaert, Berquyn en Steelant [manuscript]|url=https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:91DB5610-F70D-11DF-AECD-543B9BE017E0#?c=&m=&s=&cv=23&xywh=-5,0,7683,4289|access-date=2020-08-27|website=lib.ugent.be}}</ref>]]
Family trees have been used to document family histories across time and cultures throughout the world.

=== Africa ===
In Africa, the [[Solomonic dynasty|ruling dynasty]] of [[Ethiopia]] claimed descent from [[King Solomon]] via the [[Queen of Sheba]]. Through this claim, the family traced their descent back to the [[Davidic line|House of David]].

The genealogy of [[Ancient Egypt]]ian ruling dynasties was recorded from the beginnings of the [[Pharaonic]] era {{circa|3000 BC}} to the end of the [[Ptolomaic dynasty|Ptolomaic Kingdom]]; although this is not a record of one continuously linked family lineage, and surviving records are incomplete.

Elsewhere in Africa, [[oral traditions]] of genealogical recording predominate. Members of the [[Keita dynasty]] of Mali, for example, have had their pedigrees sung by [[griot]]s during annual ceremonies since the 14th century. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, many ruling clans—most notably those descended from [[Oduduwa]]—claim descent from the legendary [[Kisra legend|King Kisra]]. Here too, pedigrees are recited by griots attached to the royal courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/africa/mali/articles/what-is-a-griot-and-why-are-they-important/|website=theculturetrip.com|title=What Is A Griot And Why Are They Important| date=24 May 2018 }}</ref>

=== The Americas ===
In some pre-contact [[Native American civilizations]], genealogical records of ruling and priestly families were kept, some of which extended over several centuries or longer.

===Pre-Islamic Arabia===
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In pre-Islamic Arabia, the Arab tribes were 
often organized around extended family units, and tribal identity was key to understanding one's heritage and honor. Each tribe, or qabila, would trace its lineage back to a common ancestor. These genealogies were passed down orally, with poets, historians, and storytellers responsible for preserving these family histories.
The Arabs were well known for their oral traditions and poetry, where family lineages were often preserved in elaborate genealogies. For example, many pre-Islamic poets like Imru' al-Qais referenced their tribal heritage and the great ancestors of their families in their poetry.

===Islamic Era and Beyond ===
With the rise of Islam in the 7th century, genealogy took on even more significance, particularly for those having descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Sayyids (those who trace their lineage back to the Prophet) and Hashemites (the family of the Prophet's clan) have been highly regarded throughout history. The Prophet Muhammad’s family tree is one of the most well-known genealogical records in the Arab world. The Islamic era also formalized the recording of genealogies, with Islamic scholars beginning to document and preserve family histories in written form. This was not only important for religious reasons but also for maintaining tribal alliances, political power, and historical records.
The First Recorded Arab Genealogical Trees. The first known recorded genealogical trees for Arabs are largely from the early Islamic period, and these genealogies were meticulously recorded by historians, genealogists, and scholars.

===The Genealogy of the Prophet Muhammad===
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One of the most famous early genealogical trees in the Arab world is that of Prophet Muhammad. His genealogy was carefully documented in various Islamic texts, and it traces his lineage to Ishmael, the son of Abraham. The family tree is crucial in establishing the Prophet’s noble lineage.
This line of descent is known as the Hashemite lineage, originating from Hashim, a forefather of the Prophet, and it remains one of the most revered lineages in the Arab world.
The Book of Lineages (كتاب الأنساب, Kitab al-Ansab)The early Islamic genealogist Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (1372–1449) compiled a monumental work called "Kitab al-Ansab", which documents the genealogies of various Arab tribes. His work was based on earlier genealogical sources and serves as a foundational resource for understanding Arab tribal and familial lineages.
Ibn Khaldun and Genealogies: Another important historical figure, Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406), a famous historian and philosopher, included discussions on genealogy in his renowned work, Muqaddimah. In his writing, he explored the role of tribes and lineages in Arab society, and this work contributed to the study of genealogies as part of social and political structures.
Early Arab Family Trees and Tribal Systems
Tribal Clans: Ancient Arab society was deeply rooted in the concept of tribal affiliation. The family tree often extended across large tribal networks that governed the social and political dynamics of pre-Islamic Arabia. Families like the Quraysh tribe (to which the Prophet Muhammad belonged) and the Banu Hashim clan were particularly significant.
In these tribes, each family, or bayt, would have its own genealogical history, and knowing one’s ancestry was considered essential for social status, marriage eligibility, and political power.
Recorded Genealogies for Prestige and Protection: Genealogies also served as a form of social security. By tracing one's family history back to notable ancestors, a family could bolster its claim to land, resources, or power. It also ensured that family members could protect themselves against challenges to their status or inheritance.
The Role of Ilm al-Ansab (Genealogy Science)The science of genealogy (Ilm al-Ansab) became a recognized scholarly field within the Arab world. Scholars and experts in genealogy would specialize in documenting, analyzing, and preserving genealogical records for the Arab tribes. This process led to the creation of family trees that not only had historical value but also served as political tools, especially in contexts where tribal affiliation played a key role in gaining or maintaining power.
While we can trace recorded family trees in the Arab world back to the early Islamic period, with prominent examples like the genealogy of the Prophet Muhammad and scholarly works by figures like Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, the practice of preserving and documenting family lineages has ancient roots in Arab culture. Tribal identity and genealogical knowledge were integral to the social fabric of pre-Islamic Arabia and continue to play a significant role in modern Arab societies. The family tree, therefore, has always been a crucial part of Arab heritage, not just as a way of tracing descent but as a means of preserving cultural identity and social structure.

=== East Asia ===
There are extensive genealogies for the ruling dynasties of China, but these do not form a single, unified family tree. Additionally, it is unclear at which point(s) the most ancient historical figures named become mythological.

In Japan, the ancestry of the [[Imperial family of Japan|Imperial Family]] is traced back to the mythological origins of Japan. The connection to persons from the established historical record only begins in the mid-first millennium AD.

The [[Family tree of Confucius in the main line of descent|longest family tree in the world]] is that of the Chinese philosopher and educator [[Confucius]] (551–479 BC), who is descended from [[Tang of Shang|King Tang]] (1675–1646 BC). The tree spans more than 80 generations from him and includes more than 2 million members. An international effort involving more than 450 branches around the world was started in 1998 to retrace and revise this family tree. A new edition of the [[Confucius Genealogy|Confucius genealogy]] was printed in September 2009 by the [[Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee]], to coincide with the 2560th anniversary of the birth of the Chinese thinker. This latest edition was expected to include some 1.3 million living members who are scattered around the world today.<ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-02/16/content_6460522.htm Confucius family tree has two million members] from ''[[China Daily]]'', unknown date, updated February 16, 2008</ref>

=== Europe and West Asia ===
Before the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]], in the [[Greco-Roman]] world, some reliable pedigrees dated back perhaps at least as far as the first half of the first millennium BC; with claimed or mythological origins reaching back further. [[ancient rome|Roman]] clan and family lineages played an important part in the structure of their society and were the basis of their intricate system of personal names. However, there was a break in the continuity of record-keeping at the end of [[Classical Antiquity]]. Records of the lines of succession of the [[Pope]]s and the Eastern Roman Emperors through this transitional period have survived, but these are not continuous genealogical histories of single families. Refer to [[descent from antiquity]].

Many noble and aristocratic families of European and West Asian origin can reliably trace their ancestry back as far as the mid to late first millennium AD; some claiming undocumented descent from Classical Antiquity or mythological ancestors. In Europe, for example, the pedigree of [[Niall Noígíallach]] would be a contender for the longest, through [[Conn of the Hundred Battles]] ([[Floruit|fl.]] 123 AD){{citation needed|date=October 2015}}; in the legendary history of Ireland, he is further descended from [[Breogán]], and ultimately from Adam, through the sons of Noah.

Another very old and extensive tree is that of the [[Lurie]] lineage—which includes [[Sigmund Freud]] and [[Martin Buber]]—and traces back to Lurie, a 13th-century rabbi in Brest-Litovsk, and from there to [[Rashi]] and purportedly back to the legendary [[King David]], as documented by Neil Rosenstein in his book ''The Lurie Legacy''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Lurie Legacy: The House of Davidic Royal Descent |author=Neil Rosenstein, Ranan R. Lurie |isbn=978-1-886223-17-2}}</ref> The 1999 edition of the ''[[Guinness Book of Records]]'' recorded the Lurie family in the "longest lineage" category as one of the oldest-known living families in the world today.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=JTA |author=Bill Gladstone |date=October 24, 2004 |url=http://www.jta.org/2004/10/24/life-religion/features/the-oldest-family-in-the-world |title=The oldest family in the world}}</ref>

Family trees and representations of lineages are also important in religious traditions. The biblical genealogies of Jesus also claim descent from the House of David, covering a period of approximately 1000 years. In the Torah and Old Testament, genealogies are provided for many biblical persons, including a record of the descendants of Adam. Also according to the Torah, the [[Kohanim]] are descended from [[Aaron]]. [[Genetic testing]] performed at the [[Technion]] has shown that most modern Kohanim share common Y-chromosome origins, although there is no complete family tree of the Kohanim. In the Islamic world, claimed descent from [[Muhammad]] greatly enhanced the status of political and religious leaders; new dynasties often used claims of such descent to help establish their legitimacy.

=== Elsewhere ===
Elsewhere, in many human cultures, [[clan]] and [[tribal]] associations are based on claims of common ancestry, although detailed documentation of those origins is often very limited.

=== Global ===
Forms of family trees are also used in [[genetic genealogy]]. In 2022, scientists reported the largest detailed human genetic genealogy, that unifies human genomes from many sources for insights [[Genetic history#See also|about human history]], ancestry and evolution and demonstrates a novel computational method for estimating how human DNA is related via a series of 13 million linked trees along the genome, a {{tooltip|2=The study is based on the 'foundational notion that the ancestral relationships of all humans who have ever lived can be described by a single genealogy' while 'estimates of the structure are a powerful means of integrating diverse datasets and gaining greater insights into human genetic diversity'.|tree-sequence}},{{clarify|date=March 2022}} which has been described as the largest "human family tree".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guy |first1=Jack |title=DNA reveals biggest-ever human family tree, dating back 100,000 years |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/24/world/unified-human-genome-scli-intl-scn-gbr/index.html |access-date=10 March 2022 |work=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Yan |last2=Wohns |first2=Anthony Wilder |title=We're analysing DNA from ancient and modern humans to create a 'family tree of everyone' |url=https://phys.org/news/2022-02-analysing-dna-ancient-modern-humans.html |access-date=21 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wohns |first1=Anthony Wilder |last2=Wong |first2=Yan |last3=Jeffery |first3=Ben |last4=Akbari |first4=Ali |last5=Mallick |first5=Swapan |last6=Pinhasi |first6=Ron |last7=Patterson |first7=Nick |last8=Reich |first8=David |last9=Kelleher |first9=Jerome |last10=McVean |first10=Gil |title=A unified genealogy of modern and ancient genomes |journal=Science |date=25 February 2022 |volume=375 |issue=6583 |pages=eabi8264 |doi=10.1126/science.abi8264 |pmid=35201891 |issn=0036-8075 |biorxiv=10.1101/2021.02.16.431497v2 |s2cid=247106458 |pmc=10027547 }}</ref>