Freemasonry bills itself, as Alan pointed out, not as a secret fraternity, but as a society whose secret handshakes and passwords are designed to symbolize the trustworthiness of each member of the lodge, or the gathering place. It is a fraternal organization that, although claiming descent from Ancient Greece and Egypt, most likely arose during the 16th and 17th centuries modeled on stonemasons who constructed the great cathedrals throughout Europe.