▁for ▁the ▁relations ▁between ▁the ▁vill agers , ▁including ▁the ▁rules ▁for ▁the ▁usage ▁of ▁the ▁land . ▁The ▁ob ști ▁had ▁jud icial ▁powers ▁on ▁their ▁members , ▁the ▁el ders ▁of ▁the ▁village ▁being ▁the ▁jud ges . ▁ ▁Orig ins ▁Where as ▁some ▁histor ians ▁such ▁as ▁Io an ▁C . ▁Fil itt i ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁ob ști ▁were ▁an ▁exception al ▁way ▁of ▁organization ▁and ▁a ▁recent ▁development , ▁Nicola e ▁I org a ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁ob ște ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁ancient ▁institutions ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ian ▁pe asant , ▁being ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁found ing ▁of ▁the ▁medieval ▁Roman ian ▁states . ▁ ▁Some ▁histor ians ▁such ▁as ▁P . ▁P . ▁Pan ait es cu ▁argued ▁that ▁its ▁origin ▁can ▁be ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁organization ▁of ▁the ▁Da cian ▁settlement s , ▁which ▁was ▁rev ived ▁following ▁the ▁Roman ▁retre at . ▁As ▁arguments ▁for ▁its ▁origin ▁being ▁previous ▁to ▁the ▁S lav ic ▁contact ▁are ▁given ▁words ▁such ▁as ▁g int ▁( pl . ▁g inture ) ▁which ▁was ▁a ▁term ▁of ▁Latin ▁origin ▁( from ▁gens / gent ilis ) ▁to ▁refer ▁to ▁a ▁community ▁formed ▁by ▁an ▁extended ▁family . ▁ ▁Similar ▁systems ▁of ▁organizations ▁were ▁found ▁among ▁the ▁S lav s ▁and ▁Germ ans . ▁In ▁the ▁region , ▁it ▁was ▁found ▁among ▁the ▁East ▁S lav s , ▁where ▁it ▁was ▁known ▁as ▁ob sh ch ina ▁or ▁mir , ▁the ▁West ▁S lav s ▁where ▁it ▁was