Oikos
Oikos ( old Gr. Οἶκος ; plural: οἶκοι ) was the household and economic community in ancient Greece that formed the center of life. The terms economy and ecology are derived from this.
"First of all a farm ( oikos ), a woman, an ox to plow."
description
The oikos comprised the family as well as servants and slaves , the land, the buildings and all movable inventory - similar to the Roman villa . The head of the family was Kyrios , who ruled patriarchally over his wife and children, and often over the adult sons living in the Oikos with their wives.
The landlord paid particular attention to the fact that the property, wealth and reputation of his oikos were preserved and increased. B. also the establishment of advantageous connections through marriage or hospitality. The division of the inheritance was always a special problem in the legislation of antiquity: Through the division of the inheritance (equal parts to all sons) the oikoi (plural) became so small that they no longer gave enough for the family's livelihood. Hesiod therefore pleaded for few children with inheritance rights in order to ensure the size of the oiko and thus the preservation of the family: "Only one son is there" to preserve the father's house.
In the center of the Oikos was the farmyard, in which what was grown in the country was processed and stored for times of need. In addition to the cultivation of grain and olive trees, cattle (cattle, pigs, sheep and goats) were raised. While agriculture and animal husbandry were primarily carried out by the men (landlords, sons, slaves, servants), the women (housewives, daughters, maids and slaves) did the housework: food was processed, fabrics were spun and woven , clothing, Shoes and other everyday items made. The Oiko's economy was primarily geared towards self - sufficiency - which, however, was not always possible when you B. thinks of metal processing. The economic prosperity of the oikos also ensured the family's social position. Aristotle clearly differentiated Oikos from the Greek polis , which contradicted his teacher Plato. Plato saw no difference between a large oikos and a small polis.
In terms of building typology, Oikos refers to the family or sacred assembly building of a community.
In the case of a family or clan community, the term stands for the part of the ancient Greek house in which the hearth was to be found and which was mostly used by women. It is the private focal point of the Greek house, as opposed to the Andron as the public part of the house where the guests were received and the symposia were held.
In the sacred area, Oikos also refers to the assembly building of a cult community (cf. Naxier-Oikos on Delos ). The communal consumption of the sacrificial meal took place in this cult room; the hearth functioned as a sacrificial altar . Such oikoi were often expanded into temple buildings in archaic times , for example in Yria on Naxos .
Feminist theory
The division of functions of the Greek house into Oikos and Andron, as described by Xenophon and Aristotle, leads to the same questions "about the social position of women and slaves" for both. Their answers are contradicting: While Aristotle subordinates the woman in the Oikos to the rule of the man, Xenophon gives the view of the Socratics: He assumes the equality and equality of men and women and wants the woman to take full responsibility, care and authority in the Oikos left.
From this and similar reports, the feminist theory is derived that interpersonal life in the oikos, as well as the economic issues in the life of the Greeks, was determined by women. Her job was to see to it that the oiko was working properly and looked after. In this way, the women would have saved the family from material shortages. The men's sphere was more theoretical; Their role was, for example, philosophizing and debating in the agora .
For the meaning of the oikos and female rule in ancient Greece, see: “Of economic power and military strength. Contributions to archaeological gender research ": Summary on page 95:" The spheres of action of the female members of the Argeadic dynasty of ancient Macedonia and the Hellenistic royal houses were defined by the role as representatives of their oikos, the extended manorial house. In a complementary function to the monarch, they represented the dynastic image in public. Own lands, whose income they could dispose of, and gifts from the ruler enabled them to act as founders, benefactors and promoters of culture. But also political and military interventions were part of their scope of action, especially in times of crisis of rule. "
literature
- Gottfried Gruben : Greek temples and sanctuaries. 5th, completely revised and enlarged edition. Hirmer, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-7774-8460-1 .
- Roger W. Gehring: House Church and Mission. The importance of ancient houses and house communities - from Jesus to Paul (= Biblical Monographs. Vol. 9). Brunnen-Verlag, Giessen et al. 2000, ISBN 3-7655-9438-5 (at the same time: Tübingen, University, dissertation, 1998).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Andrea Gorys : Dictionary Archeology (= dtv 32504). Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-32504-6 .
- ↑ Gottfried Gruben: Greek temples and sanctuaries. 2001, p. 375 f.
- ^ Irmintraut Richarz: Households in the past and present . Contribution to an international interdisciplinary symposium at the University of Münster. Ed .: Irmintraut Richarz. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1994, ISBN 978-3-525-13228-9 .
- ↑ Sabine Müller: Oikos, Prestige and economic spheres of action of Argead women and Hellenistic queens . In: Jana Esther Fries , Ulrike Rambuscheck (ed.): Of economic power and military strength. Contributions to archaeological gender research: Report of the 4th meeting of the gender research group at the 79th annual conference of the Northwest German Association for Ancient Studies in Detmold 2009 . Waxmann Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-8309-7491-8 .
