{"id":2577,"date":"2016-02-24T10:53:52","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T07:53:52","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2016-07-22T10:13:08","modified_gmt":"2016-07-22T07:13:08","slug":"oikos-house-oikia-house-oikonomia-household-polis-city-politiki-politics-civilization","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/park-of-leivithra\/archaeological-information-building\/oikos-house-oikia-house-oikonomia-household-polis-city-politiki-politics-civilization\/","title":{"rendered":"Oikos (House) Oikia (house) Oikonomia (household) \/ Polis (city) Politiki (politics) civilization"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Aristotle, the first human society was the \u201cOikos\u201d<\/em>, meaning the members of a family who lived together to cover their primordial, common needs. The settlement of more Oikoi <\/em>which had derived of an ancestral family, created the \u201ckome\u201d<\/strong><\/em>, an initial gender society in a non-fortified village. Much later, the numerous relational communities would be mentioned as tribes<\/em> and nations<\/em>, words without their present ethno-politic meaning. The dissected geomorphology of the Greek landscape had of course reinforced the diachronic localism and the local \/ ethnic <\/em>traditions, which remained distinct even after the Polis\u2019<\/em> (city-state\u2019s) establishment of the historic era.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolis<\/em><\/strong>\u201d (city) and \u201cpolitiki<\/em><\/strong>\u201d (politics) are ancient Greek words that refer to the city as a settlement, as a political institution and as the entirety of its civilians. \u201cPolitismos<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> (civilization)<\/em> as a concept is the consequence of the social organization into Poleis (Cities)<\/em>. As a word it derives from the recent use of a \u201cpolitical<\/em>\u201d word mentioned in the 3rd<\/sup> century A.D. by Diogenes Laertius referred to the administration of the \u201cpolis<\/em>\u201d. \u201cOikos<\/em>\u201d, \u201coikia<\/em>\u201d and \u201coikonomia\u201d<\/em> are also ancient Greek words. O<\/em><\/strong>ikia<\/em><\/strong> is -as today- the house of the family and Oikos<\/em><\/strong> is its human members and their belongings. Oikonomia<\/em><\/strong>, until at least classical antiquity, meant the management of the Oikos<\/em>\u2019<\/em> affairs (household).<\/p>\n

Within the first half of the 1st<\/sup> millennium B.C. many local societies seem to have been united in a new institution, the Polis<\/em>, consisted of the intra muros city (asty<\/em>) and its surrounding countryside (chora). <\/em>The Polis <\/em>could rarely be organized in komes <\/em>(villages). The Agora was the centre of public life. The acropolis remained a political and religious center and could also be used as a shelter. The new form of settlement created the need for new constructions, institutions<\/p>\n

and laws which would define the rules of living together \u201cpolitically\u201d and \u201ccivilized\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0The Greek Polis (<\/em>henceforth city – state)<\/em> is the birthplace of the concepts of the civilian, <\/em><\/strong> politics <\/em><\/strong>and civilization<\/em><\/strong> thanks to Demos<\/u> <\/em><\/strong>(civilians) and Democracy<\/u><\/em><\/strong> (Demos\u2019 State, meaning the power of Demos in administrating the city – state).<\/p>\n

As opposed to public buildings, private structures were built with local materials. Independently of the owner\u2019s wealth and his social standing, private houses of the 5th<\/sup> century B.C. were usually humble. However, during the 4th<\/sup> century B.C., the size and the content of the house began to demonstrate the social place of the Oikos<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The owner of the house had as duty the social support and the whole management of the Oikos<\/em>. In poorer families women would have to contribute to the economic process. In a wealthy Oikos<\/em> the wife was a supervisor of the housework, protected and respected but also secluded -with only a few exceptions-.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Graphic\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Graphic representations of ancient houses<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Graphic\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Graphic representations of ancient houses<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Red\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Red figured pyxis with two women, one holding a needlecraft and the other a spindle. Paris, Louvre Museum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Red\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Red figured kylix with symposium scene (2nd half of 5th century B.C.). Berlin, Antikensammlung<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"A\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

A type of close balcony (\u201csachnisi\u201d) on the upper floor of roadside buildings of recent times, probably also existing in ancient houses<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"A\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

A type of close balcony (\u201csachnisi\u201d) on the upper floor of roadside buildings of recent times, probably also existing in ancient houses<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"A\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

A traditional house in Macedonia with interior yard, \u201chayati\u201d (quasi-open-air room) and courtyard door<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Traditional\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Traditional house with \u201chayati\u201d in Moustheni, Paggaio<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Traditional\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Traditional Macedonian house with courtyard and \u201chayati\u201d on the ground and the 1st floor, such as \u201cpastas\u201d of the ancient houses. Sohos, Thessaloniki<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Old\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Old courtyard door of Kanalon Monastery, in the area of Leivithra. Similar doors also existed in antiquity<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Finance<\/h3>\n

In the pre-monetary time of Homer, he placed the persons who did not possess any land and worked for others in the worst social position. A little later, in the also pre-monetary time of Hesiod, when the society was based on animal breeding, agriculture and exchange of products (barter), the small-scale farmer had a tiring life, which was however self-sufficient, independent and dignified \u2013the basic characteristics of a free man. His reduction to being landless would have led him to the losing his autonomy and to the worst financial and social standing. During the archaic period a revolutionary novelty appeared in Asia Minor, which changed the evolution of the world: the equalization of products, services and work with a tradable and manageable form of payment, the coin.<\/p>\n

Agricultural Life<\/h3>\n

In the 4th<\/sup> century B.C. Xenophon believed that agriculture is necessary to man\u2019s survival as the mother and source of all arts. Those having agriculture as their main occupation lived either in cities \/ villages or in farmhouses.<\/p>\n

The main difference between urban houses and farmhouses was the high, often multi-storied towers. Research has not yet clarified whether the towers were used only for agricultural \/ livestock activities, defensive purposes, living accommodations or for all these purposes combined and maybe for others which we do not know yet.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The lower part of a roman funerary stele from Xrani in Pieria, with agricultural scene<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Kylix\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Kylix with plowing scene. Paris, Louvre Museum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"A\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

A huntsman with his dog, in the bottom of an attic black figured kylix (6th century B.C). London, British Museum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Floor\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Floor plan and representations of a farmhouse in Ano Liosia (\u201cDema House\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"Floor\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Floor plans and representations of farmhouse in Vari (2nd half of 4th century B.C.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n\n
\n\"A\n<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

A traditional \u00abtower\u00bb in Thessaly, possibly similar to that of the ancient farmhouse from Komboloi site<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

Written by: Effie Poulaki Pantermali<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to Aristotle, the first human society was the \u201cOikos\u201d, meaning the members of a family who lived together to cover their primordial, common needs. The settlement of more Oikoi which had derived of an ancestral family, created the \u201ckome\u201d, an initial gender society in a non-fortified village. Much later, the numerous relational communities would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2541,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2577","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2577"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3417,"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2577\/revisions\/3417"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leivithra.culture.gov.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}