Accepted both men and women equally into their ranks - gender was not a barrier to rising in the ranks.

Teachings were orally transmitted – it was forbidden to write them down.

Believed in two supreme opposing powers or gods, or sets of divine or demonic beings, that created the world.

The parallels between the Pythagorean schools and that of the Cathars is noteworthy. 495 BC) is believed to have founded schools in these Greek settlements.

There also were known to be other Greek settlements in Languedoc along the shore of what is now Marseilles and further westward. When Pythagoras left Greece he studied in Egypt before founding a school in Croton at the toe of the Italian peninsula boot. However, recently some researchers are finding evidence to support the idea that the Cathar faith arose locally and the seeds may have been planted, at least in part, by Pythagoras. It is believed to have its roots in Manichaeism, Paulicianism, Bolomilism and/or Zoroastrianism. Their beliefs many historians accept spread westward from Bulgaria, Bosnia and Dalmatia. (Incidentally, the world Catholic is also from a Greek root word, katholikos, meaning 'universal' or “in general”.) The Cathars were also known as the Albigensian, named for the town of Albi where there was a large settlement. The word Cathar comes from the Greek word katharoi meaning 'pure.' The Cathars called themselves simply the Good Men.

Crusader kings 2 cathar