The Ancient Houses, also known as the old Houses, were a narrow group of old-established Human bloodlines controlling planetary fiefs and interstellar lordships. In its most restricted sense, the term indicated the dominant lineages of the Senex-Juvex sectors, such as House Vandron and House Elegin, but the term could also be extended to include other families of comparable antiquity and authority—for example, House Organa of Alderaan.