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<blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 9140018" data-attributes="member: 6779310">There are plenty of well documented guild-like 18th and 19th century criminal organizations... the Yakuza of Japan can be traced back to the early 17th C.There are stories of criminal gangs from the 17th and 18th centuries in the middle east. Robin Hood goes back to 1377 in literature; there's little evidence he lived when claimed, but the idea of an organized band of brigands is clearly within belief in the 14th C.Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves strongly implies the 40 as some form of guild/gang... and it dates to the 1400's or earlier, as part of 1001 Arabian Nights, (which is estimated to be pre-1400 based upon the Arabic in use). Again, not proof they existed, but proof they didn't break verisimilitude...So, while we can't prove they existed, they were literarily accepted in at least two important cultural regions and part of the literary tradition.Even the bible (Hosea 6-7) discusses gangs of robbers. Note that gang in context is more like band, team, or crew than the modern use, but groups of robbers are pretty much close to the centuries later literary traditions.Again, a guild of thieves, if operating openly, wouldn't be operating under such a name, but a medieval cityman would not be surprised to find such a guild concealing their thefts and smuggling.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="aramis erak, post: 9140018, member: 6779310"] There are plenty of well documented guild-like 18th and 19th century criminal organizations... the Yakuza of Japan can be traced back to the early 17th C. There are stories of criminal gangs from the 17th and 18th centuries in the middle east. Robin Hood goes back to 1377 in literature; there's little evidence he lived when claimed, but the idea of an organized band of brigands is clearly within belief in the 14th C. Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves strongly implies the 40 as some form of guild/gang... and it dates to the 1400's or earlier, as part of 1001 Arabian Nights, (which is estimated to be pre-1400 based upon the Arabic in use). Again, not proof they existed, but proof they didn't break verisimilitude... So, while we can't prove they existed, they were literarily accepted in at least two important cultural regions and part of the literary tradition. Even the bible (Hosea 6-7) discusses gangs of robbers. Note that gang in context is more like band, team, or crew than the modern use, but groups of robbers are pretty much close to the centuries later literary traditions. Again, a guild of thieves, if operating openly, wouldn't be operating under such a name, but a medieval cityman would not be surprised to find such a guild concealing their thefts and smuggling. [/QUOTE]

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