▁among ▁sch ol ars . ▁An cient ▁Gree ks ▁also ▁considered ▁the ▁el dest ▁son ▁the ▁a ven ger ▁of ▁wrong s ▁done ▁to ▁parents — " The ▁Er in yes ▁are ▁always ▁at ▁the ▁command ▁of ▁the ▁first - born ". ▁ ▁Roman ▁law ▁didn ' t ▁recogn ise ▁prim ogen iture , ▁but ▁in ▁practice ▁Rom ans ▁fav ored ▁the ▁el dest ▁son . ▁In ▁An cient ▁Pers ia , ▁succession ▁to ▁the ▁family ▁head ship ▁was ▁determined ▁by ▁pat ril ine al ▁prim ogen iture . ▁ ▁Among ▁C elt ic ▁and ▁German ic ▁pe op les , ▁the ▁pre domin ant ▁custom ▁during ▁ancient ▁times ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁to ▁divide ▁the ▁land ▁in ▁equal ▁parts ▁for ▁each ▁of ▁the ▁sons . ▁However , ▁the ▁house ▁could ▁be ▁left ▁to ▁only ▁one ▁of ▁them . ▁Ev idence ▁of ▁actual ▁practices ▁and ▁law ▁codes ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Sach sens p iegel ▁indicate ▁that ▁Germ ans ▁left ▁the ▁house ▁to ▁the ▁young est ▁son . ▁This ▁was ▁possibly ▁connected ▁to ▁the ▁cult ▁to ▁family ▁ancest ors , ▁which ▁was ▁also ▁inherited ▁by ▁the ▁young est ▁son . ▁Cel ts ▁from ▁Ireland ▁and ▁northern ▁France ▁left ▁the ▁house ▁to ▁the ▁el dest ▁son . ▁Both ▁Germ ans ▁and ▁Irish ▁divided ▁the ▁land ▁into ▁equal ▁shares ▁until ▁the ▁early ▁Modern ▁Age , ▁when ▁im part ible ▁inheritance ▁gradually ▁took ▁hold ▁among ▁both ▁pe op les . ▁However , ▁according ▁to ▁T ac it us ▁the ▁German ▁tribe ▁of ▁the ▁Ten ct eri ▁employed